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A MEMOIR 



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THE PUBLIC SERVICES 

OF 

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WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 

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BjY JAMES HALL 

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KEY & BIDD 



NOR STREET. 



1836. 




Entered according to the act of Congress, air the year 1836, 
by Key & Biddle, in the clerk's office of the district court for 
the eastern district of Pennsylvania. 



stereotyped by John Fagan Philadelphia. 



PREFACE. 



In preparing for the press a work lately pub- 
lished, containing sketches of the History of 
the Western States, the author becanie pos- 
sessed of a large number of facts, connected 
with the public services of General Harrison. 
They would properly have formed a part of 
the work alluded to ; but as that had already 
swelled to a larger size than had been antici- 
pated, as these would form in themselves a 
connected narrative, and as they relate to an 
individual whose name is now placed before 
the people of the United States, under circum- 
stances calculated to awaken curiosity in 
regard to his history — it has been thought best 
to arrange these materials into a separate vol- 
ume. It is mostly a compilation from other 
waiters; among which the author especially 
acknowledges his obligations to Dawson, the 
biographer of General Harrison; and to 
M'Affee, the historian of the late war. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Mr. Harrison's birtli, parentage, and education Piige 7 

CHAPTER II. 

Situation of tlie North-western Territory previous to 
Wayne's campaign — Intrigues of the British — Defeat 
of Harmer and St. Clair — Appointment of Wayne — 
Organization of tlie Legion 14 

CHAPTER III. 

Mr. Harrison's first appointment — His services under 
St Clair and Wilkinson — Wayne's campaign 28 

CHAPTER IV. 

Captain Harrison appointed Secretary of the Territory — 
His first election to Congress — His services in refer- 
ence to the sale of public lands 56 

CHAPTER V. 

AiFairs of Indiana — Duties of Mr. Harrison as Gover- 
nor, Superintendent of Indian affairs, and Commis- 
sioner for treating with the Indians 66 

CHAPTER VI. 

Affairs of Indiana — The Governor's addresses to the 
Legislature 76 

CHAPTER VII. 

Intrigues of Tccumthe and the Prophet — State of the 
frontier — Machinations of the British agents — Popu- 
larity of Mr. Harrison 94 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Intrigues of Tecumthe — Council at VincenneS Ill 

CHAPTER IX. 
Hostilities commenced — Governor Harrison directed to 

march against the Prophet's Town 120 

1* 



Vi CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

Battle of Tippecanoe 132 

CHAPTER XI. 

Declaration of War— Its effect on the West— Harrison 
called into service by the people — Volunteers from 

Kentucky 156 

CHAPTER XII. 

Unprepared state of the country at the commencement 
of the war — March of the volunteers — Their confi- 

dence in Harrison 170 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Harrison appointed Commander-in-chief — Extent of his 
command — Difficulties by which he was surrounded 
— Plan of operations 177 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Events in Indiana and Illinois — Movements on the 
North-western frontier — Massacre at the River Raisin 201 

CHAPTER XV. 

Opening of the second campaign — Siege of Fort 
Meigs — Brilliant sortie — Defeat of Colonel Dudley 222 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The mounted regiment under Col. R. M. Johnson. . . . 237 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Second siege of Fort Meigs 245 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Preparations for the invasion of Canada 265 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Perry's victory — Preparations for invading Canada . . . 270 

CHAPTER XX. 

Invasion of Canada — Battle of the Thames, and capture 
of the British army — Expedition to Niagara — ^Resig- 
nation of Genersd Harrison 275 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Civil services since the war 286 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Conclusion — Character of General Harrison 309 



MEMOIR 



OF 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



CHAPTER I. 
Mr. Harrison's birth, parentage, and education. 

It is one of the happiest results of our republican 
institutions, that no individual can claim respect on 
account of his parentage. The property accumu- 
lated by the industry of the parent may be trans- 
mitted to his offspring ; every man has a right to 
dispose, as he pleases, of the fruit of his own labour, 
and the law facilitates and sanctions its descent to 
those who stand nearest to the possessor in consan- 
guinity and affection. But the good name of an 
honest man, or the fame of an illustrious citizen, is 
earned by his own deeds ; it is neither gained by 
inheritance, nor bestowed by devise. 

If any class of citizens may with propriety in- 
dulge the pride of ancestry, it is those who are de- 
scended from the distinguished patriots and virtuous 
men, who, by their talents, their sacrifices, and 



8 MEMOIR OF 

their blood, have become justly numbered among 
the benefactors of their country. The sages and 
heroes of the American Revolution were engaged 
in a noble enterprise, which they carried triumph- 
antly to a successful termination, by an exertion 
of wisdom, patience, courage, and forbearance, 
rarely paralleled in the history of the world. They 
disinterestedly and fearlessly exposed their lives, 
and jeoparded their fortunes, for their country, and 
for posterity — for a country too poor at that time 
to reward them for their services, and in a cause 
too uncertain to promise any immediate personal 
advantages to those who bore the heat and burthen 
of the struggle. Their contemporaries could admire 
their magnanimity ; it is for us, who are reaping 
the rich harvest of their patriotic labours, to testify 
the gratitude of a generous people, by holding their 
names in everlasting honour ; and when a descendant 
from that venerated stock combines in himself qua- 
lities worthy of admiration, his claim to the respect- 
ful consideration of his countrymen, is at least not 
diminished by the advantage of such a parentage. 
By many it would be considered as greatly en- 
hanced, and the services of a distinguished patriot 
would derive additional lustre from the fact that he 
had trodden in the footsteps of an equally illustri- 
ous father, whose unbought and unrequited ser- 
vices had been freely given to the nation, in its 
day of peril and weakness. Less than this we 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 9 

could not say, in allusion to tlie eminent person 
wliose biography wc are about to place before the 
public — himself a warrior and statesman of no 
mean repute, and the son of one who was conspi- 
cuous among the founders of the American republic. 
The lives of public men, who have participated 
largely in affairs of general interest, form a part 
of the history of their country, and should be 
recorded with careful fidelity, for the instruction 
of those who follow afler them. To no one does 
this remark apply more justly than to General Har- 
rison, who has filled with honour the highest places 
in the gift of his country, and been an efficient actor 
in many of the most important national transac- 
tions which have taken place since the revolution. 
His public career has been long and eventful ; 
nearly his whole life has been devoted to the ser- 
vice of his country. He is one of the very few 
remaining among us, the commencement of whose 
career is dated back to the first days of the repub- 
lic, who have grown up with our political charac- 
ter and public institutions, have witnessed the gra- 
dual advance of our country from infant weakness 
to mature prosperity, and who form the connecting 
link between the generation which secured our 
liberty, and that which is enjoying its fruits. Reared 
up among the patriots of the revolution, under the 
pure and vigorous counsels of republican simplici- 
ty — appointed to his first office by the sagacious 



10 MEMOIR OF 

Washington — and enjoying successively the confi- 
dence of the elder Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and 
Monroe, he may truly be said to have been taught 
and trusted in the purest school of democracy. 

William Henry Harrison was born in Vir- 
ginia, in the year 1773, and among his relations 
are numbered some of the most distinguished men 
of that state. His father was Benjamin Harrison, 
one of the signers of the declaration of independ- 
ence, to whose ardent zeal and intrepidity that 
body of patriots were greatly indebted for their 
harmonious organization. In the Biography of the 
signers of the declaration of independence, an inci- 
dent is recorded, which, witji the explanation we 
are enabled to add, is highly illustrative of the dis- 
interested love of country which animated the pub- 
lic men of that day. When Mr. Hancock was 
appointed to succeed Peyton Randolph as President 
of Congress, it is said, that, " with a modesty not 
unnatural at his years, and a consciousness of the 
difficulty he might experience in filling a station of 
such high importance and responsibility, he hesitated 
to take the seat. Mr. Harrison was standing beside 
him, and with the ready good-humour that loved a 
joke, even in the Senate house, he seized the modest 
candidate in his athletic arms, and placed him in 
the presidential chair ; then turning to some of the 
members around, he exclaimed, ' We will show 
mother Britain how little we care for her, by mak- 



WILLIAM HEMtY II AKKISO.N. 11 

ing a Massachusetts man our president, whom she 
has excluded from pardon by public proclama- 
tion.' "* The truth is, that a large portion of the 
members of that Congress wished to call Mr. Har- 
risen to the chair, vacated by the death of his bro- 
ther-in-law Peyton Randolph ; but with noble self- 
denial, and admirable judgment, he declined in 
favour of John Hancock, and insisted on his taking 
the post of honour. The latter, not to be outdone 
in generosity, was willing to give way to the Vir- 
ginia delegate, when the amicable controversy was 
terminated in the manner described, and a coolness 
between Virginia and Massachusetts avoided, which 
might have resulted, had a contest for the most 
conspicuous place in Congress been permitted be- 
tween the distinguished delegates from those colo- 
nies. Benjamin Harrison afterwards filled the 
executive chair of Virginia, at a period when every 
energy of a great and powerful mind was neces- 
sary to keep up the spirits of his countrymen. 

William Henry Harrison, the third and youngest 
son of the illustrious patriot, whose name we have 
mentioned, was born the 9th of February, 1773, 
in Charles City county, Virginia, and was educated 
at Hampden Sydney College. He inherited from 
his father little save his noble example, and a name 



-»•-»•- "•-•-»^ 



* Waln's Biofrraplj^ p^ the Signers ot IKo^V^^*''^^*"" 
of Independence. ^,^ LIBRAKY '^^■ 




%^/NGTO- ^i'" 






12 MEMOIR OF 

identified with the great struggle for liberty. His 
education having commenced during the storms of 
the revolution, he imbibed the sentiments of repub- 
licanism, and of resistance to oppression, which 
have always influenced him in his career through 
life. Dependent on his own exertions, he applied 
himself with great ardour to the study of medicine, 
and was about to graduate as a practitioner, when 
he conceived the idea of serving his country as a 
soldier, in the western wilderness. Being under 
age, his guardian, the celebrated Robert Morris, 
used every exertion to induce him to continue his 
studies ; for that penetrating statesman discerned, 
even then, in his young friend, the germs of a noble 
character, and was desirous of giving him all the 
advantages of scientific attainment, which our 
country could afford, and of placing him in a pro- 
fession, for which he considered him peculiarly 
fitted by his talents, the kindness of his nature, and 
the suavity of his manners. The desire of the 
young student to distinguish himself in the defence 
of our western frontiers, under the accomplished 
but unfortunate St. Clair, predominated ; and Pre- 
sident Washington, who had been the intimate 
friend of his father, sanctioned his views, and gave 
him an appointment in the army. 

Thus, although young Harrison was connected 
with those who were affluent, he commenced his 
eventful career in life, without the advantages of 



^ WILLIAM IIEiNRV HARRISON. 13 

fortune. Embracing a profession which seldom 
opens the way to wealth, he threw himself into the 
ranks of patriotism, and gave his energies to his 
country, with a patriot's devotion. His was not 
the service of a holi(]g,y soldier. He lingered not 
in the cities, to sport the gaudy habiliments of the 
warrior in the resorts of fashion and dissipation. 
The nation was too poor to support its officers in 
idleness ; and the independent spirit of Harrison 
would not permit him to lead a life of useless indo- 
lence. He began, at the early age of nineteen, to 
act the part of a man on the great theatre of life, 
and to build up the fabric of his fortunes. Select- 
ing a dangerous and laborious field of exertion, he 
proceeded at once to the post of honour and duty, 
and entered upon that perilous and active career 
of usefulness, in which he has continued to be en- 
gaged, with but little interruption, up to the present 
time. 

2 



14 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER II. 

Situation of the North-wes%rn Territory previous 
to Wayne^s campaign — Intrigues of the Brit- 
ish — Defeat of Harmer and St. Clair — Ap- 
pointment of Wayne — Organization of the 
Legion, 

The war in which Mr. Harrison first met the 
enemies of his country, may properly be considered 
as a continuation of the great struggle for inde- 
pendence. When peace was concluded with Great 
Britain in 1783, many of the Indian tribes, who 
had been in alliance with that power, refused to lay 
down the hatchet, but continued to perpetrate their 
merciless outrages upon the frontier settlements. 
These had now extended themselves into the beau- 
tiful valley of the Ohio, and were spreading rapidly 
over the fertile lands of that delightful region. 
About the year 1763, the hardy borderers from 
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, taking ad- 
vantage of a short season of peace with the Indians, 
had begun to cluster around the forts at Redstone, 
Pittsburgh, and Wheeling, and thence spread along 
the margins of the Monongahela and Ohio, in Penn- 
sylvania and Western Virginia. Previous to the 
breaking out of the revolution, the savages again 



WILLIAM HENKV HAKKISON. 15 

became troublesome ; but the gallant pioneers main- 
tained their ground, and when the storm of the 
revolution thickened around them, they supported 
these distant outposts with the most obstinate va- 
lour. 

At a period a little later, and just before the com- 
mencement of the revolutionary war, Kentucky and - 
Tennessee began to be peopled from Virginia and 
North Carolina, and the work of emigration was 
carried successfully forward during the continu- 
ance of that hard-fought struggle. These early 
adventurers were not only opposed by hostile sav- 
ages, who fought for the possession of the soil 
which they had occupied through ages countless to 
the present historian, but by the wealth, the wea- 
pons, and the skill, of our European oppressor. 
While the armies of the republic were gaining im- 
perishable renown under the standard of liberty, at 
various points throughout the eastern, middle, and 
southern states, the patriotic inhabitants of the 
frontier were not less active; but honourably sus- 
tained the common cause, and under the orders of 
such men as Clark, Seveir, Shelby, Scott, Logan, 
and other equally gallant leaders, performed many 
brilliant achievements. When the American recurs 
with admiration to the eventful story of our contest 
for independence, it should never be forgotten, that 
the decisive battle of King's Mountain was fought 
by riflemen from the ^^■estern forests, who had 



16 MEMOIR OF 

crossed the Allegheny ridge by laborious marches, 
to aid their oppressed brethren in breaking the yoke 
of the tory ascendancy, leaving their own homes 
exposed to the predatory incursions of the savage. 
Nor are these services to be slightly valued. They 
formed an important part of the great military 
drama. The pioneers, by keeping the savages 
employed on the western waters, held in check an 
immense mass of merciless warriors, who would 
otherwise have been poured into the heart of the 
middle and southern states, destroying the cities, 
and violating the firesides, of a country which, 
even without this scourge, was bleeding at every 
pore. Washington estimated these services at their 
true value, and Britain never forgave them. 

Scarcely had the thunder of artillery ceased to 
roll over the battle-fields, when the north-western 
territory began to receive inhabitants. A hardy 
band from New-Jersey and Pennsylvania founded 
Cincinnati, a colony of French settled at Gallipolis, 
and the people of New-England seated themselves 
at Marietta, and on the Connecticut reserve. Others 
followed them, and point after point was rapidly 
occupied ; but the war of the revolution was not 
yet concluded. The harvest was ripened, but not 
gathered in. The independence of America was 
acknowledged, but not secured. The billow had 
rolled over the Atlantic states, but the surge was 



WILLIAM HENKY HARRISON. 17 

breaking upon the forests of the west. Here the 
tomahawk was still busy. 

A calm retrospect of these events must satisfy 
every unprejudiced mind that Great Britain, in 
reluctantly consenting to acknowledge the inde- 
pendence of the United States, had been driven by 
the valour of our fathers into a measure which she 
was determined to retract, upon the first favourable 
opportunity. The noble sentiment expressed by 
her King, at his first interview with Mr. Adams — 
" I was the last to conform to the separation ; but 
'the separation having been made, I would be the 
first to meet the friendship of the United States as 
an independent power" — was not responded by the 
feelings of his people, or the action of his govern- 
ment. They never relinquished the hope of punish- 
ing the rebel, and regaining the country; and 
unhappily for us, they possessed the means of 
annoying us, and keeping alive their unhallowed 
lust for revenge. We were weak, and they were 
strons. Predominant on the ocean, our commerce 
was at their mercy ; nor did they cease to cripple 
our trade, to impress our seamen, and insult our 
flair, until a series of brilliant victories on the ocean 
had taught them that we had the strength and the 
spirit to maintain our rights. On the north-western 
frontier they held a chain of fortresses garrisoned 
by disciplined troops, and they had a band of 
trained emissaries moving over the vast wilderness, 

2* 



18 MEMOIR OF 

and uniting the tribes against us. With the single 
object in view of repressing the expansion of our 
population, by depriving us of the traffic with the 
Indians, and embittering them to acts of outrage, 
they conciliated them with presents, roused their 
passions by supplying them with the dreadful 
means of intoxication, and furnished them with 
weapons. , ♦ 

This fiendish combination between the civilized 
and savage man, warring against the social princi- 
ple and the sacred rights of the fireside, immolating 
the peaceful citizen, the female, and the helpless 
infant, upon the altar of revenge, — retarding the 
spread of the arts, and rolling back the tide of 
knowledge and religion, continued to operate until 
it was broken up by the successful valour of an 
indignant people. The brilliant victories on the 
northern, north-western, and southern frontiers, 
redeemed our country from the thraldom of foreign 
influence, and added the names of Macomb, Scott, 
Brown, Jackson, and Harrison, with a host of 
others, to the glorious list of those who fought 
for independence. Washington and his associates 
gained the victory, Wayne and his contemporaries 
improved it, and the military and naval heroes of 
the last war struck the final blow which rendered 
it secure and lasting. 

From 1783 to 1790, it was estimated that fifteen 
hundred men women, and children, had been 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 19 

killed or taken prisoner by the Indians upon the 
waters of the Ohio ; more than two thousand 
horses were stolen from the inhabitants; houses 
had been burned, fields ravaged, boats plundered, 
and property destroyed to an unknown amount. 
Still the settlements grew, and the gallant pioneers 
sustained the war with undaunted spirit. The Bri- 
tish, in defiance of a solemn treaty, continued to 
hold military posts within our acknowledged terri- 
tory, to tamper with the tribes in our limits, and 
faithlessly to supply the munitions of war, to be 
used against a civilized people at peace with her- 
self. 

Every effort by negotiation having failed to 
restore peace. Brigadier General Harmer, a most 
accomplished gentleman and skilful ofiicer, was or- 
dered to advance into the Indian country with a 
force deemed sufficient to chastise the savages, 
break up their towns, and force them to peace. 
The defeat of that gallant officer, after he had ac- 
complished some of the objects of the campaign, 
and the annihilation of his army by an overwhelm- 
ing force, carried dismay throughout the frontier, 
and inspired the Indians with fresh confidence. 

A new army was raised, and placed under the 
command of Major General St. Clair, a veteran 
and skilful soldier of the revolution, in whom 
Washington placed entire confidence. The public 
had become aware of the magnitude of the trust 



20 MEMOIR OF 

reposed in this gentleman, and the eyes of the 
nation were directed towards him with anxious 
solicitude. They hoped every thing from his tal- 
ents, experience, and unquestioned courage ; they 
feared every thing from the numbers and ferocity 
of the enemy, who were rendered audacious by 
their recent victory. The honour of the federal 
government was at stake ; the confidence of the 
people in its wisdom, and the respect of foreign 
nations, could only be secured by striking a suc- 
cessful blow, which should at once blast the cor- 
roding influence of the foreign incendiary, and give 
security to a frontier so long the scene of rapine, 
conflagration, and slaughter. The result is too 
well known. A variety of unforeseen and unpro- 
pitious circumstances combined to foil the skill of 
St. Clair; and on the 4th of November, 1791, his 
gallant army was defeated with great loss, near the 
Miami villages, by a confederated body of Indians, 
under the command of the Little Turtle, a consum- 
mate warrior, and aided by white auxiliaries from 
Canada. Upwards of thirty officers, and near a 
thousand men, were slain. Among the former was 
General Butler, a distinguished soldier of the revo- 
lution. 

The defeat of St. Clair filled the whole country 
with consternation and mourning. A succession 
of disasters had rendered the war unpopular. The 
gallant spirits whose inclinations would have led 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 21 

them to the field, shrunk from a contest so laborious 
and unsuccessful, in which a victory would yield 
little honour, while defeat was attended with torture 
and death in their most horrible forms. To fall by 
the rifle, the tomahawk, and the seal ping-knife, 
had thus far been the fate of those who had ven- 
tured upon these perilous wars. The vast expend- 
itures made in the two recent expeditions had 
drained the treasury, and fallen heavily upon the 
resources of the country ; parties were becoming 
formed in the nation, and in Congress, for and 
against the prosecution of war, and the whole 
aspect of the times was gloomy. 

It was a crisis worthy the mind of Washington. 
To vindicate the honour of the nation, to crush the 
growing discontent of factions, to rescue the fron- 
tier from devastation, and to secure the permanency 
of the free institutions which had just been estab- 
lished by a long and bloody war, required all the 
coolness and discrimination of his great intellect. 

The war had risen into importance. It had 
ceased to be a matter of local interest, but had 
swelled into a national contest, involving danger 
to the union. The Indians were confederated, and 
the hand of Britain was seen directing their move- 
ments. It became necessary to place our armies 
under the command of a military chief of consum- 
mate abilities and established reputation — one who 
should be brave, energetic, and fertile in expedient 



22 MEMOIR OF 

— a leader of sound judgment, ripe experience, and 
great prudence, who, besides possessing the highest 
qualities of the soldier, would command the confi- 
dence of the public. 

The choice of the President was balanced for a 
time between two distinguished individuals — George 
Rogers Clark, and Anthony Wayne. Both had 
served with brilliant reputation in the revolutionary 
war — both had rare endowments of intellect and 
military genius — both had held important separate 
commands, and had earned the most enviable dis- 
tinction in daring and successful exploits planned 
and executed by themselves. The latter was event- 
ually chosen, and by his able conduct in this pro- 
tracted and dangerous war, added a new laurel to 
his own wreath, and another to the already exist- 
ing proofs of the discriminating mind of Wash- 
ington. With Wayne were associated Brigadier 
Generals James Wilkinson and Thomas Posey, 
revolutionary officers of high repute : the former 
had shown himself an active partisan leader in 
several recent expeditions against the Indians ; the 
latter had shared for several years the toils and 
confidence of Wayne, had led a battalion in the 
desperate assault of Stony Point, and shared the 
eventful fortunes of Mad Anthony^ from the icy 
plains of the Canadian frontier, to the burning 
sands of Georgia. 

A writer who seems to have been intimately 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAKKISON. 28 

versed in this subject, has given the Ibl lowing de- 
scription of the formation of Wayne's Legion. 
'' On the 25th of May, 1792, General Wayne hav- 
ing been furnished by the Secretary of War with 
the instructions of the President, in which it was 
emphatically expressed, ' that another defeat would 
be inexpressibly ruinous to the reputation of the 
government,' took leave of his family and friends, 
and repaired to Pittsburgh, the place appointed for 
the rendezvous of the troops, where he arrived 
early in June. By a new organization, the army 
was to consist of one major general, four brigadier 
generals and their respective staffs, the commis- 
sioned officers, and 5120 non-commissioned officers 
and privates, the whole to be denominated ' The 
Legion of the United States.' The legion to be 
divided into four sub-legions, each to consist of 
commissioned officers named, and 1280 non-cpm- 
missioned officers and privates. The previous army 
having been nearly annihilated, a new one was to 
be recruited. IMost of the experienced officers hav- 
ing been slain in the defeats of Harmer and St. 
Clair, or resigned their commissions, the labours 
of the commanding general were augmented to an 
extent which nothing but the most unwearied pa- 
tience and ardent zeal could have performed. Many 
of the officers, as well as of the soldiers, had yet to 
learn the rudiments of their profession. The or- 
ganization of the troops, military tactics, discipline, 



24 , MEMOIR OF 

&c., devolved so far upon the general as to leave 
him scarcely time, without infinite labour, to keep 
up the correspondence incident to his station. His 
efforts were indefatigable ; and it is impossible at 
the present day to form an adequate idea of the 
difficulties he had to encounter, the labours to per- 
form, and the obstacles to surmount. So panic- 
struck was the whole country" (meaning that part 
of it distant from the scene of danger, — for the 
pioneers stood firm) " at the repeated and bloody 
successes of the enemy, that an engagement with 
them was looked to as certain defeat. A perfect 
horror seemed to seize the recruits, when marched 
from the rendezvous where they had enlisted, and 
their faces turned to join the army. In a letter to 
the Secretary of War, dated Pittsburgh, 20th July, 
1792, General Wayne says, *The detachment 
under Major Ashton arrived at this place on Mon- 
day ; Lieutenant Campbell's, with Stokes' dragoons, 
and Captain Faulkner's riflemen, on Tuesday. I 
am, however, sorry to inform you of the alarming 
desertion that prevailed in Ashton's detachment and 
Stokes' dragoons. Not less than fifty of the for- 
mer, and seven of the latter, deserted on their march 
between Carlisle and Pittsburgh.' 

" Another fact will show the degree of terror that 
the name of Indian had inspired, and the extraor- 
dinary difficulties the general had to surmount, to 
introduce obedience, self-confidence, and courage. 



WILLIAM HENRY IIARKISON. 25 

A letter to the Secretary of War, dated Pittsburgh, 
10th of August, 1792, says, ' Desertions have been 
frequent and alarming. Two nights since, upon a 
report that a large body of Indians were close in 
our front, I ordered the troops to form for action, 
and rode along the line to inspire them with confi- 
dence, and gave a charge to those in the redoubts 
which I had recently thrown up in our front, and 
on the right flank, to maintain their posts at any 
expense of blood, until I could gain the enemy's 
rear with the dragoons ; but such was the defect 
of the human heart, that from excess of cowardice, 
one-third of the sentries deserted from their sta- 
tions, so as to leave the most accessible places un- 
guarded.' 

" By the salutary measures adopted to introduce 
order and discipline, the army soon began to assume 
its proper character. The troops were daily exer- 
cised in all the evolutions necessary to render them 
efficient soldiers, and more especially in those ma- 
noeuvres proper in a campaign against savages. 
Firing at a mark was constantly practised, and 
rewards given to the best marksmen. To inspire 
emulation, the riflemen and infantry strove to excel, 
and the men soon attained to an accuracy that 
gave them confidence in their own prowess. On 
the artillery, the general impressed the importance 
of that arm of the service. The draixoons he taught 
to rely on the broadsword, as all important to vic- 

3 



26 ME3I0IR OF 

tory. The riflemen were made to see how much 
success must depend on their coolness, quickness, 
and accuracy ; while the infantry were led to place 
entire confidence in the bayonet, as the certain and 
irresistible weapon, before which savages could not 
stand. The men were instructed to charge in open 
'order ; each to rely on himself, and to prepare for 
a personal contest with an enemy. The confidence 
inspired, and rapid improvement in discipline, are 
frequently mentioned with pleasure in the letters 
of the commanding general written during the 
autumn ; but the season was too far advanced be- 
fore a reasonable force could be collected to warrant 
active operations."^ 

We have entered into this detail to show the 
perilous and unpromising nature of the service to 
which young Harrison devoted his youthful ener- 
gies. It could not have been the desire of an indo- 
lent life, nor the indulgence of a puerile vanity, 
which led the youthful candidate for fame into 
scenes so fraught with danger and hardship. The 
service was neither popular nor inviting. Toilsome 
marches in the wilderness, incessant watching, 
coarse fare, uncertain supplies, awaited these gal- 
lant adventurers under the most favourable event 
of the campaign, while a reverse of fortune would 



* Extracted from an able article in Atkinson's Casket for 
1830. 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAKRISON. 27 

bring torture, death, or a cruel captivity. A youth 
reared in alHuence, surrounded by friends, and 
with fair hopes in prospect, who resigned all these 
advantages to serve his country on the frontier at 
that gloomy period, must have been gifted with a 
high courage and generous patriotism, which ele- 
vated him above the selfish motives which ordina- 
rily govern human conduct. 



28 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER III. 

Mr. Harrisoii's first appointment — His services 
under St. Clair and Wilkinson — Wayne's cam- 
paign. 

Mr. Harrison received his first commission as 
an ensign in the first regiment of United States 
artillery, then stationed at Fort Washington, and 
immediately set out to join the army. He arrived 
at Fort Washington just after the defeat of General 
St. Clair's army, and witnessed the gathering in at 
that post of the broken fragments of that gallant 
band, which had marched out but a few weeks 
before in the pride of military power, and now re- 
turned a mutilated, disorganized, and panic-stricken 
corps. The whole defence of the frontier now de- 
volved on a few men, while the Indians, flushed 
with victory, had grown more audacious than ever. 
The winter was setting in, and such were the hard- 
ships to be anticipated by those who were destined 
to protect the distant outposts of the wilderness, 
that the stoutest hearts might have failed, and the 
hardiest veterans have shrunk from the unequal 
contest. Harrison, young, slender, and apparently 
frail, was advised by his comrades to decline a ser- 



WILLIAM HENRY IIARKISON. 29 

vice for wliicli liis constitution and early liabits 
seemed to have rendered him peculiarly unlit. P»ut 
liis was not a spirit to recoil from danger. The 
same boldness and energy of character — the same 
prodigal exposure of his own person to danger and 
fatigue, which have marked his conduct through 
life, were displayed at the commencement of his 
career. 

The first duty confided him was to command an 
escort having charge of a train of pack-horses 
bound for Fort Hamilton. The duty was difficult 
and perilous, requiring great exposure by night and 
by day, continual watchfulness, and a greater de- 
gree of sagacity than would ordinarily have been 
expected in a youth of nineteen. But he acquitted 
himself in a manner which proved his abilities to 
be equal to his spirit, and which elicited the com- 
mendations of General St. Clair. 

At this time the vice of intemperance was com- 
mon in the army, and many promising young men 
fell victims to the destroyer. The practice of drink- 
ing ardent spirits was universal ; public sentiment 
had not denounced it as immoral, nor was intoxi- 
cation considered, as it now is, degrading to the 
character of tlie gentleman. The hardships to 
which the army was exposed, and the privations 
which they often endured for days and weeks to- 
gether, predisposed the young officers to excess in 
their moments of relaxation. In other respects, 

3* 



30 MEMOIR or 

their situation exposed them to the contagion of bad 
habits. They were cut loose from the restraints 
of society, from the genial influence of domestic 
intercourse, and from the companionship of all 
those who might have awed or advised them to 
prudent and virtuous habits. They were encamped 
in the wilderness, or shut up in isolated fortresses, 
without books or amusements, and where the tempt- 
ations to gambling and intoxication, assailed them 
with tenfold force. Mr. Harrison had the good 
sense to see and avoid these dangers ; and strength- 
ened by the advice of General Wilkinson, who suc- 
ceeded General St. Ckir in 1792, resisted the 
temptation, and laid the foundation of those habits 
of temperance which have adhered to him through 
a long life, enabled him to support the fatigues of 
border warfare, and given him a degree of health 
and vigour which few men enjoy at his age. 

In 1792, he was promoted to the rank of lieu- 
tenant, and in 1793 joined the legion under General 
Wayne, who soon noticed the ardent young \^rgi- 
nian, and selected him as one of his aids-de-camp. 
In this honourable post he served with credit, and 
learned the art of war in a severe school. He who 
followed the footsteps of Wayne reposed not on 
beds of down, nor trod in paths strewed with 
flowers. 

On the 28th of November, 1792, the army left 
Pittsburgh, and took up a position on the Ohio 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 31 

twenty-two miles below that place, and seven 
above the mouth of Beaver, which assumed tlie 
name of Legionvillc. Huts were constructed for 
the whole force ; the general^nd his officers remain- 
ing in tents until all the soldiers were completely 
accommodated. The position was strongly forti- 
fied, and every precaution taken to prevent sur- 
prise. The enemy was within striking distance, 
and the utmost vigilance was necessary to preserve 
the army, to teach it self-reliance, and to impress 
the foe with respect for our arms. 

One of the duties confided to Wayne by the sa- 
gacious Washington, was that of conciliating the 
friendly tribes ; and accordingly an early invitation 
was sent to Cornplanter and New Arrow, distin- 
guished chiefs of the Six Nations, to visit the com- 
mander-in-chief at Legionville. They came in 
March 1793, accompanied by Big Tree, and the 
aged Guasutha. On this occasion a toast was 
given by Cornplanter, at the general's table, which 
showed clearly their opinion of the terms upon 
which peace should be established between the red 
and white men. " My mind and heart are upon 
that river," said the chief, pointing to the Ohio — 
"may that water ever continue to run, and remain 
the boundary of lasting peace between the Ameri- 
cans, and the Indians on its opposite shore." If 
such was the language boldly held in the presence 
of the representative of our government, by the 



32 MEMOIR or 

chiefs in amity with us, it is not difficult to infer 
the disposition of the hostile tribes. A permanent 
boundary, which should for ever separate them 
from the further encroachment of our people, had 
always been the natural and not unreasonable de- 
sire of the Indians. The Ohio was the boundary 
now insisted upon by British policy ; and in conse- 
quence of their intrigues, the American government 
was required by the Indians to relinquish all claims 
north and west of that river, although repeated 
treaties, and fair purchase, had transferred to them 
large portions of the territory, which had been 
pledged by Congress to the officers and soldiers 
of the revolution, and parts of which were now 
occupied by actual settlers. In the event of our 
refusal to comply with terms so entirely inadmissi- 
ble, so sternly opposed to our interest, honour, and 
good faith, a general and desolating war was the 
only alternative. These facts are necessary to a 
distinct understanding of the subsequent events. 
The war was not one of aggression upon our part. 
It was sanctioned by justice, and impelled by the 
duty of self-defence ; it was imperatively required 
to break up the pernicious influence of an insi- 
dious European foe, and to curb the ferocity of the 
savage. 

The dispatches of Wayne to the government 
soon assumed a tone of confidence, widely differ- 
ent from that which characterized his letters from 



WILLIAM IIKNUY HARRISON. 33 

Pittsburgli. The troops improved rtipidly in disci- 
pline, liarmony and order were established, military 
pride and zeal were awakened, and an ardent de- 
sire for active duty animated the whole legion. 
Alluding to this change, and to a proposition of 
the government that commissioners should be ap- 
pointed to attempt a treaty with the Indians, he 
playfully expressed in one of his letters a desire to 
be present at the proposed convention, " with 2500 
of his commissioners, with not a single Quaker 
among them ;" adding, " in which case I feel con- 
fident an honourable peace would be the result." 

'On the 30th of April, 1793, General Wayne 
broke up his position at Legionville, and conveyed 
his army in boats to Fort Washington, an outpost 
upon the site now occupied by the city of Cincin- 
nati. Here he was detained by the orders of the 
government. The Indians had intimated a desire 
to treat ; and the government, earnestly intent on 
trying to the last tne benevolent medium of nego- 
tiation, deputed General Lincoln, Colonel Pickering, 
and Beverly Randolph, to meet the chiefs at San- 
dusky. 

The accurate writer from whom we have already 
quoted, describes in the following terms the situa- 
tion of the army during the pendency of the nego- 
tiation : 

" Thus restrained from active operations, General 
Wayne devoted himself to perfecting the prepara- 



34 MEMOIR OF 

tions necessary, if the negotiations should not, as 
he was fully persuaded they would not, eventuate 
in peace. The troops were manoeuvred and disci- 
plined — arrangements were adopted for bringing 
into service an auxiliary aid of mounted volunteers 
from Kentucky. Vigorous exertions were made to 
insure a full supply of provisions, especially at the 
head of the line ; for the commanding general was 
fully impressed with the importance of placing the 
army not only beyond the reach, but beyond the 
apprehension, of want. It is scarcely possible to 
conceive the difficulties encountered in effecting this 
. indispensable object ; so inadequate were the con- 
tractor's supplies to accomplish the wishes of the 
commander-in-chief, that additional and effectual 
means were adopted to effect the purpose. In 
truth, from the moment of his taking the com- 
mand, from the want of experienced officers, in 
several departments, it became necessary for him 
to attend to them much in detaif. By the organiza- 
tion of the legion, he was entitled to the aid of* four 
brigadier generals, whereas he had but one during 
the greater period of his campaigns, and at no time 
more than two ; one of whom was his gallant and 
distinguished friend. General Thomas Posey. His 
vigilant eye, however, let nothing pass without the 
closest inspection, and his untiring industry and de- 
votion were repaid by the order and perfection intro- 
duced into every department of the army." * * * 



WILLIAM IIENKV IIAKUISON. 35 

" In the extraordinary situation of the world, the 
conduct of France, Great Britain, aftd Sjjain, fre- 
quently influencing events in which the army were 
concerned, called for his animadversions, and they 
will uniformly be found to be those of a statesman 
of enlarged, liberal, and correct views, breathing 
throughout the purest patriotism." 

As had been foreseen by General Wayne, the 
negotiations failed. The Indians obstinately per- 
sisted in demanding that the Ohio should be the 
established boundary, and haughtily refused to treat 
upon any other terms. The government therefore 
ordered General Wayne to commence active ope- 
rations, to carry them forward with vigour, but by 
no means to risk a defeat, which, under existing 
circumstances, would have been ^^ pernicious in 
the highest degree to the interests of the country." 

Wayne had made his arrangements in advance 
of these instructions, had called to his assistance a 
thousand mounted men from Kentucky, broken up 
his head-quarters at Hobson's Choice, near Fort 
Washington, and commenced his march on the 7th 
of October. On the 13th of the same month, he 
took a position six miles in advance of Fort Jeffer- 
son, and eighty miles from Fort Washington, on 
the south-west branch of the Miami. This was 
fortified in a manner to render it impregnable to a 
savage force, and called Greeneville. 

In a dispatch dated 2:3d October, 1793, General 



36 MEMOIR OF 

Wayne describes an attack on the 17th, upon a 
convoy of provisions, consisting of ninety men, 
under Lieutenant Lowry and Ensign Bdyd. " These 
two gallant young gentlemen, who promised at a 
future day to be ornaments to their profession, to- 
gether with thirteen men, non-commissioned offi- 
cers and privates, bravely fell, after an obstinate 
resistance against superior numbers, being aban- 
doned by the greater part of the escort upon the 
first discharge." Such was the terror inspired by 
the Indians, and such the difficulty of inducing even 
trained soldiers to face the imaginary dangers of 
the conflict. 

About this time a band of Kentuckians under 
General Scott joined the army ; but as the season 
was too far advanced for effective operations in the 
field, they were permitted to return. 

On the 23d of December, eight companies of 
infantry, and a detachment of artillery, under 
Major Burbeck, were dispatched to take possession' 
of the field of battle of the 4th November, 1791, 
and to fortify the position. To the new post thus 
established was given the name of Fort Recovery. 
The following general order was issued on the 
return of the troops from that mournful but highly 
interesting expedition : — 

" The commander-in-chief returns his most grate- 
ful thanks to Major Henry Burbeck, and to every 
officer, non-commissioned officer, and private, be- 



WILLIAM HENRY IlARRISOIV. 37 

lonsxinn to tlic detachment under his command, for 
their soldierly and exemplary good conduct during 
their late arduous tour of duty, and the cheerfulness 
with which they surmounted every difficulty, at 
this inclement season, in repossessing General St. 
Clair's field of battle, and erecting thereon Fort 
Recover}/, a work impregnable by savage force ; 
as also for piously and carefully collecting and in- 
terring the bones, and paying the last respect and 
military honours to the remains of the heroes who 
fell on the 4th of November, 1791, by three times 
three discharges from the same artillery that was 
lost on that fatal day, but now recovered by this 
detachment of the legion. ' 

" The commander-in-chief also requests Major 
Mills, Captains De Butts and Butler, Lieutenant 
Harrison, and Dr. Scott, to accept his best thanks 
for their voluntary aid and services on this occa- 
sion." 

Thus early do we find the name of Harrison 
identified with deeds of patriotism and valour. 

The Indian councils were now cunningly direct- 
ed. Breathing war and vengeance, and bent on 
the expulsion of the whites from the north-western 
territory, they yet pretended to be still willing to 
accede to amicable terms; and shortly after the 
erection of Fort Recovery, a message was sent by 
them to General Wayne, to propose that negotia- 
tions should be opened, for the adjustment of all 

4 



38 MEMOIR OF 

existing difficulties. Fully empowered to make 
peace, or to prosecute the war, and satisfied of the 
earnest desire of the President to avoid bloodshed, 
General Wayne felt himself obliged to meet the 
overture with apparent satisfaction, and to open a 
treaty; while he was convinced that the secret 
object of the enemy was to gain time, to lull his 
vigilance, and to reconnoitre his strength. He re- 
quired as a preliminary to any treaty, that all 
American captives in the hands of the Indians 
should be released, and gave them thirty days in 
which to do this, and to make their propositions. 

A singular occurrence marked this temporary 
cessation of hostilities. On the departure of the 
flag, charged with the pacific message of Wayne, 
Big Tree, a distinguished Seneca warrior, who had 
attached himself to our cause, committed suicide. 
" I have lost," said he, " a very dear friend — the 
friend of my heart — General Richard Butler." He 
had sworn to sacrifice three victims to the manes 
of his friend ; and exasperated at the idea of a 
peace, which would defeat his purpose, he put an 
end to his existence. 

New difficulties accumulated round this gallant 
army. Combinations of persons were said to be 
formed in Kentucky, for the purpose of invading 
the Spanish territory on the lower Mississippi ; and 
the governor of Louisiana, to be prepared for the 
threatened aggression, had advanced within the 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 89 

boundaries of the United States, and fortified a po- 
sition at the Chickasaw bluffs. The spoliations 
committed by the piratical fleets of Great Britain 
upon our commerce, the hostile spirit manifested in 
the whole tone of the measures of that government, 
the speech of Lord Dorchester to the Indians, in- 
citing them to rapine, the refusal to deliver up the 
posts still maintained in the wilderness of the north- 
western territory, — all contributed to render a war 
with Great Britain probable. Even lately a British 
force had been audaciously thrown into our terri- 
tory, and a fort erected by them at the rapids of 
the Miami. To meet the various points of danger 
indicated by these events. General Wayne garri- 
soned Fort Massac, on the Ohio, 60 miles above 
its confluence with the Mississippi, opened a cor- 
respondence with the patriotic governor of Ken- 
tucky, and proceeded to crush the intended irruption 
into Louisiana, as well as to guard against the 
military movements of the British. 

The Indians refused to treat, and active opera- 
tions were resumed. Nothing delayed the move- 
ment towards the enemy, but the expected arrival 
of the Kentucky volunteers, whose aid had been 
promised. 

On the 30th of June, 1794, an escort of riflemen 
and dragoons, under Major M'Mahan, was attacked 
under the guns of Fort Recovery, and a general 
assault made upon that post. The engagement 



40 MEMOIR OF 

was obstinate ; the savages, though several times 
repulsed, renewed the fight with spirit, and were at 
last defeated with a considerable loss of their war- 
riors. An auxiliary force of British soldiers, com- 
manded by their proper officers, were mingled 
with the Indians on this occasion. • The assailants 
were about 1500 in number; their loss was great, 
and the victory over them triumphant and cheering. 
About the middle of July, General Scott arrived 
from Kentucky, with his command of mounted vo- 
lunteers; and on the 8th of August, General Wayne 
took up a position at Grand Glaise, in the very 
heart of the Indian country, and 70 miles in ad- 
vance of Greeneville. This movement was so 
rapid, and was executed with such consummate 
skill, that had it not been for the desertion of a 
soldier, who conveyed the intelligence to the Bri- 
tish, the surprise of the enemy would have been 
complete, and their defeat inevitable. By this bold 
and prudent measure, the army was established in 
the midst of extensive Indian settlements which 
were under the immediate protection of a British 
garrison. In a letter written upon this occasion to 
the Secretary of War, he remarks, " Thus, sir, we 
have gained possession of the grand emporium of 
the hostile Indians in the west, without loss of 
blood. The very extensive and highly cultivated 
fields and gardens show the work of many hands. 
The margins of those beautiful rivers, the Miami 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 41 

of the Lake, and Au Glaise, appear like one conti- 
nued village for a number of nniles above and below 
the place ; nor have I ever before beheld such im- 
mense fields of corn in any part of America, from 
Canada to Florida." 

Having erected a stronfr work at the confluence 
of the rivers above mentioned, which he called 
Fort Defiance ; and being now prepared to strike 
the enemy, he made a last attempt at conciliation. 
" I have thought proper," he said, " to offer the 
enemy a last overture of peace ; and as they have 
every thing that is dear and interesting at stake, 
I have reason to expect they will listen to the pro- 
position mentioned in the inclosed copy of an ad- 
dress dispatched yesterday by a speoial flag, under 
circumstances that will insure his safe return, and 
which may eventually spare the effusion of much 
human blood." " But should war be their choice, 
that blood be upon their own heads. America shall 
no longer be insulted with impunity. To an all 
powerful and just God, I therefore commit myself 
and gallant army." 

The overture was rejected, against the advice of 
the distinguished, chief Little Turtle, a man of great 
capacity and unimpeached courage, who, in a coun- 
cil of the combined Indians, on the night previous 
to the battle, held the followino; lans^uasfe : " We 
have beaten the enemy twice under separate com- 
manders. We cannot expect the same good for- 

4* 



42 MEMOIR OF 

tune to attend us always. The Americans are 
now led by a chief who never sleeps : the night 
and the day are alike to him. And during all the 
time he has been marching upon our villages, not- 
withstanding the watchfulness of our young men, 
we have never been able to surprise him. . Think 
well of it. There is something whispers me it 
would be prudent to listen to his offers of peace." 

The splendid engagement which ensued, is me- 
morable as well from the consummate skill dis- 
played by the general, and the valour of the troops, 
as from the important consequences that flowed from 
our victory. The success of Wayne was owing to 
his vigilance, the high discipline of his army, and 
the system of tactics which he adopted. Abandon- 
ing the close order, which would have beei;i proper 
in fighting European troops, but which it is imprac- 
ticable to preserve in thickly wooded grounds, 
while it exposes men in solid masses to the uner- 
ring aim of the sharp-shooting savage, — he adopted 
an open order, which enabled his men to move with 
more facility among the trees, exposed them less to 
the fire of the enemy, and extended the line of 
battle, so as to defeat the usual stratagem of 
the foe, that of turning the flank and striking at the 
rear. 

We cannot describe the battle itself better than 
by quoting entirely the official account of the com- 
mander-in-chief: 



WILLIAM ILENRY HARRISON. 43 

"IlEAn Quarters, > 

Grayid Glaizc, 2Sth August, 1704. } 

" Sir, 

" It is with infinite pleasure that I now announce 
to you the briUiant success of the federal army 
under my command, in a general action with the 
combined force of the hostile Indians, and a consi- 
derable number of the volunteers and militia of 
Detroit, on the 20th instant, on the banks of the 
Miami, in the vicinity of the British post and garri- 
son, at the foot of the rapids. 

" The army advanced from this place on the 
15th instant, and arrived at Roche de Bout on the 
18th; the 19th we were employed in making a 
temporary post for the reception of our stores and 
baggage, and in reconnoitring the position of the 
enemy, who were encamped behind a thick bushy 
wood, and the British fort. 

"At 8 o'clock on the 20th, the army again 
advanced in columns, agreeably to the standing 
order of march ; the legion on the right flank, co- 
vered by the Miami, — one brigade of mounted" vol- 
unteers on the left, under Brigadier General Todd, 
and the other in the rear, under Brigadier General 
Barbee : — a select battalion of mounted volunteers 
moved in front of the legion, commanded by Major 
Price, who was directed to keep sufficiently ad- 
vanced — so as to give timely notice for the troops 
to form, in case of action — it being yet undcter- 



I 



44 MEMOIR OF 

mined whether the Indians would decide for peace 
or war. After advancing about five miles, Major 
Price's corps received so severe a fire from the 
enemy, who were secreted in the woods and high 
grass, as to compel them to retreat. 

" The legion was immediately formed in two 
lines, principally in a close, thick wood, which ex- 
tended for miles on our left ; and for a very consi- 
derable distance in front, the ground being covered 
with old fallen timber, probably occasioned by a 
tornado, which rendered it impracticable for cavalry 
to act with effect, and afforded the enemy the most 
favourable covert for their savage mode of warfare, 
they were formed in three lines, within supporting 
distance of each other, and extending nearly two 
miles, at right angles with the river. 

" I soon discovered, from the weight of the fire, 
and extent of their lines, that the enemy were in 
full force in front, in possession of their favourite 
ground, and endeavouring to turn our left flank. I 
therefore gave orders for the second line to advance, 
to support the first, and directed Major General 
Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the sav- 
ages, with the whole of the mounted volunteers, by 
a circuitous route ; at the same time I ordered the 
front line to advance with trailed arms, and rouse 
the Indians from their coverts at the point of the 
bayonet ; and, when up, to deliver a close and well 
directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk 



WILLIAM HENRY IIARUISON. 45 

charge, so as not to give them time to load again. 
[ also ordered Captain Miss Campbell, who com- 
manded the legionary cavalry, to turn the left flank 
of the enemy next the river, which aflbrded a fa- 
vourable field for that corps to act in. 

" All these orders were obeyed with spirit and 
promptitude ; but such was the impetuosity of the 
charge of the first line of infantry, that the Indians 
and Canadian militia and volunteers were driven 
from all their coverts in so short a time, that 
although every exertion was used by the officers 
of ihe second line of the legion, and by Generals 
Scott, Todd, and Barbcc, of the mounted volun- 
teers, to gain their proper positions, yet but a part 
of each could get up in season to participate in the 
action ; the enemy being driven, in the course of 
one hour, more than two miles, through the thick 
woods already mentioned, by less than one-half 
their numbers. 

" From every account, the enemy amounted to 
two thousand combatants ; the troops actually en- 
gaged against them were short of nine hundred. 
This horde of savages, with their allies, abandoned 
themselves to flight, and dispersed with terror and 
dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and 
quiet possession of the field of battle, which termi- 
nated under the influence of the guns of the British 
garrison, as you will observe by the inclosed cor- 



46 MEMOIR OP 

respondence between Major Campbell, the com- 
mandant, and myself, upon the occasion. 

" The bravery and conduct of every officer be- 
longing to the army, froni the generals down to 
the ensigns, merit my highest approbation. There 
were, however, some whose rank and situation 
placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point 
of view, and which I observed with pleasure and 
the most lively gratitude : among Whom I beg leave 
to mention Brigadier General Wilkinson,* and Co- 
lonel Hamtramck, the commandants of the right 
and left wings of the legion, whose brave example 
inspired the troops ; and to these I must add the 
names of my faithful and gallant aids-de-camp. 
Captains De Butts and T. Lewis, and Lieutenant 
Harrison, who, with the adjutant general. Major 
Mills, rendered the most essential service by com- 
municating my orders in every direction, and by 
their conduct and bravery exciting the troops to 
press for victory. Lieutenant Covington, upon 
whom the command of the cavalry now devolved, 
cut down two savages with his own hand, and 
Lieutenant Webb one, in turning the enemy's left 
flank. 

"The wounds received by Captains Slough and 
Prior, and Lieutenants Campbell, Smith (an extra 

* The gallant and veteran General Posey was not in the 
battle. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 47 

nid-do-camp to General Wilkinson) of the legionary 
infantry, and Captain Van Rcnsellacr, of the dra- 
goons, and Captain Rawlins, Lieutenant M'Kenney, 
and Ensign Duncan, of the mounted volunteers, 
bear honourable testimony of their bravery and 
conduct. 

" Captains H. Lewis and Brock, with their com- 
panies of light infantry, had to sustain an unequal 
fire for some time, which they supported with for- 
titude. In fact, every officer and soldier who had 
an opportunity to come into action, displayed that 
true bravery which will always insure success. 

" And here permit me to declare, that I never 
discovered more true spirit and anxiety for action 
than appeared to pervade the whole of the mounted 
volunteers ; and I am well persuaded that had the 
enemy maintained their favourite ground but for 
one half hour longer, they would have most severely 
felt the prowess of that corps. 

" But whilst I pay this just tribute to the living, 
I must not forget the gallant dead ; among whom 
we have to lament the early death of those worthy 
and brave officers. Captain Miss Campbell of the 
dragoons, and Lieutenant Towles of the light in- 
fantry of the legion, who fell in the first charge. 

"Inclosed is a particular return of the killed 
and wounded — the loss of the enemy was more 
than double that of the federal army. The woods 
were strewed for a considerable distance with the 



48 ME3I0IR OF 

• 

dead bodies of the Indians, and their white auxilia- 
ries ; the latter armed with British muskets and 
bayonets. 

" We remained three days and nights on the 
banks of the Miami, in front of the field of battle, 
durincr which all the houses and corn-fields were 
consumed and destroyed for a considerable dis- 
tance, both above and below Fort Miami, as well 
as within pistol-shot of that garrison, who were 
compelled to remain tacit spectators of this general 
devastation and conflagration — among which were 
the houses, stores, and property of Colonel M'Kee, 
the British Indian agent, and principal stimulator 
•of the war now existing between the United States 
and the savages. 

" The army returned to this place on the 27th 
by easy marches, laying waste the villages and 
corn-fields for about fifty miles on each side of the 
Miami ; there remain yet a number of villages, and 
a great quantity of corn to be consumed or de- 
stroyed, upon Au Glaize and the Miami, which 
will be effected in the course of a few days. In 
the interim we shall improve Fort Defiance, and 
as soon as the escort returns with the necessary 
supplies from Greeneville and Fort Recovery, the 
army will proceed to the Miami villages, in order 
to accomplish the object of the campaign. 

" It is, however, not improbable that the enemy 
may make one more desperate effort against the 



■1: 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 49 

army; as it is said that a reinforcement was hourly 
expected at Fort Miami, from Niagara, as well as 
numerous tribes of Indians, living on the margins 
and islands of the lakes. This is a business rather 
to be wished for than dreaded, as long as the army 
remains in force. Their numbers will only tend 
to confuse the savages, and the victory will be 
more complete and decisive — and which may event- 
ually insure a permanent and happy peace. ■ 

" Under these impressions, I have the honour 
to be, 

" Your most obedient, 

" And very humble servant, 

" Anthony Wayne. 
"The Hon. Major Gen. Knox, 



Secretary 



Knox, ) 
of Warr 5 



The reader need scarcely be informed, that the 
Lieutenant Harrison who is mentioned with such 
distinguished honour in this dispatch, is the indi- 
vidual whose biography we are writing, and who 
subsequently practised with so much ability and 
success the military lesson learned under the teach- 
ing of Wayne. 

. The action had scarcely terminated, when it was 
announced from one of the advanced guards of the 
army, that a British officer had presented himself, 
with a flag, bearing a letter to General Wayne. 
An aid-de-camp was sent to 'receive it. It proved 
to be a communication from the commandant of 

5 



60 MEMOIR OF 

Fort Miami, Colonel Campbell, requesting General 
Wayne to inform him whether he was to consider 
the American army as enemies, adding that he was 
ignorant of the existence of any war between the 
King his masteis and the United States. General 
Wayne replied, that his motive for coming there 
might have been readily inferred by Colonel Camp- 
bell, from the firing of the American arms in the 
battle that had just ceased, between his army and 
the hostile Indians, who, being defeated, had fled 
for protection to the fort which the colonel com- 
manded ; and required of him to say by what au- 
thority a British military post had been established 
within the acknowledged territories of the United 
States. To this Colonel Campbell replied, that he 
had been sent there by his superior officer, and 
being there, should defend the fort until the fortune 
of war should oblige him to surrender. 

General Wayne had authority from the Presi- 
dent to take this fort if it in any manner impeded 
his operations against the Indians, and was little 
disposed to suffer the permission to remain unacted 
upon. No service could have been so acceptable 
to his brave battalions, who would have embraced 
with eagerness an opportunity to avenge the suffer- 
ings of their countrymen upon the real instigators 
of the war. But that chief, though popularly called 
" Mad Anthony," was as cool and sagacious in his 
designs, as he was impetuous in their execution. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 61 

The capture of the fort would have led to import- 
ant results, into which it was not politic to conrimit 
the nation, unless the measure should be actually- 
necessary to the success of the campaign ; nor did 
he think it prudent to weaken his army by the at- 
tempt, if the work should prove so strong as to 
require a great expenditure of life in its reduction. 
A thorough examination of the work was deter- 
mined upon ; and a grand reconnoissance was ac- 
cordingly made by the commander-in-chief, attend- 
ed by all the staff of the army, and escorted by the 
light troops. The general, attended by a troop of 
dragoons, approached to a ravine, within 100 yards 
of the fort. Here it was supposed he would have 
remained ; but after halting a few moments he be- 
gan leisurely to ascend the hill which formed the 
ravine, accompanied by his aids-de-camp De Butts 
and Harrison. As soon as they were unmasked 
by the hill, it was discovered that they were within 
50 or 60 yards of a bastion of the fort, presenting 
numerous embrasures, out of which cannon of the 
largest calibre were protruded, with the gunners 
leaning over them with lighted portfires, prepared 
to fire. The sentinel upon the salient angle brought 
his piece to a recover, preparatory to firing. Har- 
rison announced the latter circumstance to the 
general, remarking that he would immediately be 
shot. With his accustomed coolness. General 
Wayne replied, that the sentinel dared not fire. 



52 MEMOIR OP 

At this moment General Wilkinson, with his 
staff, came dashing up the ravine at a gallop ; and 
the British probably supposed that troops were ad- 
vancing to a charge. A bustle ensued in the bastion, 
and an officer was seen, restraining with difficulty 
the soldiers from firing. General Wayne reined 
back his horse, and retired slowly, followed by the 
staffi Before he reached his quarters, another letter 
was brought from Colonel Campbell, complaining of 
the insulting conduct of General Wayne, in ap- 
proaching so near his fort, and declaring that if it 
was repeated he must fire upon him. Wayne 
treated this as a ridiculous bravado ; but believing 
that the loss of life which must accompany an at- 
tempt to carry so strong a work by escalade, would 
not be compensated by the advantage to be gained, 
he gave up the idea of making the attack. 

The haughty spirit of the Indian tribes was 
broken by the decisive victory of the 20th of Au- 
gust. They were taught to respect and fear our 
arms, and to doubt the power of Britain to protect 
them. On the 1st of January, 1795, they opened 
a negotiation for peace, by agreeing to surrender 
all captives in their possession, to ratify former 
treaties, and to comply generally with the terms 
offered them by General Wayne ; for the faithful 
performance of which they gave hostages. Other 
beneficial results ensued. The news of the victory 
reached London on the 19th of November, ninety 



WILLIAM IIEXRV 11 ARUISON. 53 

days after the battle, and produced such an impres- 
sion there, that the protracted negotiation pending 
between Mr. Jay and Lord Grenville, was brought 
to a conclusion highly advantageous to our govern- 
ment. A treaty was finally held at Greeneville 
between General Wayne and a numerous repre- 
sentation of the Indian tribes, in which important 
concessions were made to our government, and the 
Indians were as much conciliated by the affability, 
moderation, and fairness, of the American com- 
mander, and the liberality of our government, as 
they had been awed by the prowess of our troops. 
Shortly after the close of this campaign. Captain 
Harrison, though still retaining his rank as an aid- 
de4femp of General Wayne, was placed, as a con- 
fidential officer! in command of Fort Washinirton, 
under circumstances which show the high estima- 
tion in which his talents and discretion were held 
by the commander-in-chief. At this period, certain 
asjents of the French crovernmcnt were encaged in 
a deep-laid intrigue in Kentucky, the object of 
which was to excite that gallant people into a war 
with the Spanish of Louisiana, and by thus embroil- 
ing our government with Spain, to force it into a 
league with France. Commissions were offered to 
individuals, money and munitions were promised, 
and the adventurous spirits of the west were encou- 
raged to engage upon their own responsibility in a 
campaign for the purpose of wresting Louisiana 

5* . 



54 MEMOIR OF 

from the Spaniards, and settling by the sword the 
long disputed question of the right of the Ameri- 
cans to navigate the Mississippi. So alluring was 
this project in the eyes of those who had long felt 
themselves injured by the insolent and oppressive 
demands of Spain, and whose sterling patriotism 
and love for the union had alone induced them to 
suppress their indignation at the earnest solicitation 
of the President — that now, when the opportunity 
offered, some of the most distinguished men of the 
west, were disposed to engage in the adventure. It 
was even to be feared, that when peace should be 
established on the north-western frontier, many 
valuable young officers might be induced to resign 
their commissions, and seek employment in this 
popular though unauthorized war. 

General Wayne, besides keeping up a corres- 
pondence with the governor of Kentucky, and gar- 
risoning Fort Massac, placed Captain Harrison at 
Fort Washington, with extensive discretionary pow- 
ers to be used as circumstances might require. He 
was, among other duties, instructed to keep the 
general advised of all movements towards the pro- 
posed enterprise, and to prevent the passage down 
the river of boats laden with military stores, belong- 
ing to the French agents. 

The British posts on the northern frontier, so 
long held in violation of good faith, were about 
this time given up ; and the troops intended to oc- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 55 

cupy them, together with the armament and stores, 
were sent to Fort Washington, and forwarded 
thence through the wilderness. Captain Harrison 
was the organ through which these troops received 
their orders, and the officer specially charged with 
the commands and intentions of the general in 
relation to the whole operation. It is no slight 
evidence of the prudence, ability, and intelligence 
of Harrison, that at an early age, and with the 
rank only of captain, he was selected by the dis- 
criminating Wayne to discharge duties so import- 
ant, and exercise a responsibility so delicate. It is 
enough to say, that in this, as well as in the vari- 
ous subsequent trusts reposed in him throughout a 
long career, he honourably vindicated, by his fidel- 
ity and zeal, the choice of the appointing power. 

While in command of Fort Washington, Captain 
Harrison married the lady who has been the faith- 
ful companion of this distinguished patriot, during 
the various perils and vicissitudes of his eventful 
life, and lives to witness the maturity of his fame, 
and the honours paid him by a grateful country. 
She was the daughter of John Cleves Symmes, the 
founder of the Miami settlements. 



56 MEMOIR OP 



CHAPTER IV. 

Captain Harrison appointed Secretary of the 
Territory — His first election to Congress — 
His services in reference to the sale of public 
lands. 

On the death of General Wayne, in 1797, Cap- 
tain Harrison left the army, and received his first 
civil appointment — that of secretary of the north- 
western territory, and, ex officio, lieutenant-gover- 
nor. He had already perilled his life in defence of the 
scattered settlements of the west ; he now became 
identified with the people in their domestic hard- 
ships, and their arduous labours in founding liberal 
institutions in the wilderness. They had difficul- 
ties to encounter, which can hardly be realized by 
those who have only beheld the peace and pros- i 

perity which now prevail in our happy country. 
Emigrating from distant lands, they found them- 
selves placed in scenes where every thing was 
new. The freshness and beauty of nature, in her 
most fascinating and prolific forms, were around 
them ; but the elements of society, law, industry, 
and moral influence, existed only in a chaos, which 
required wisdom and power little less than creative, 






1 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON: 67 

to unite them under a harmonious system. They 
had settled in damp forests, where sickness chilled 
their energies, and sometimes swept whole families 
to the grave. They had none of the luxuries, and 
few of the comforts, of life; the supply of absolute 
necessaries was comprised within the narrow bound 
of such food and shelter as the axe and the rifle 
could procure. They had houses to build, and 
farms to clear. The wolf and panther howled 
around them — the venomous serpent was in their 
path — and the wily Indian crept upon the sleeping 
family, in that unconscious hour when the toils of 
hard labour were succeeded by the repose of sleep. 

From these privations and toils none were ex- 
empt — the farmer, the hunter, the trader, and the 
civil officer, alike inhabited the log cabin, shared 
the dangers of battle, and mingled in labours for 
the civil improvement and political exaltation of 
the growing community. It was in this school 
that Mr. Harrison became intimately acquainted 
with the character, the wants, and the wishes of 
his countrymen. He learned the lessons of politi- 
cal economy out of the great volume of human na- 
ture. At the fireside of the farmer, at the camp of 
the hunter, at the frontier fortress, at the council 
of the governor, at the festive gatherings of the 
people, he learned all that could be known of the 
true state of the country and its inhabitants. 

Mr. Harrison's conduct in the office of secretary, 



58 ' MEMOIR OF 

and his popular manners, met with marked public 
approbation ; and when, in the ensuing year, the 
north-western territory entered into the second 
grade of government, and the people were autho- 
rized to elect a delegate to Congress, he was the 
first individual chosen to fill that office. 

The mode of disposing of the public lands, by 
which, except in peculiar situations, they were 
offered in tracts o^ four thousand acres, was par- 
ticularly odious to the people, and subversive of 
their interests, if not of their rights. It was an 
arrangement presenting the most aristocratic fea- 
tures, and was calculated alike to benefit the 
wealthy monopolist, and to retard the settlement 
of a new and fertile country. At a period when 
money was scarce, and when commercial facilities 
had not been extended to the region west of the 
mountains, few individuals could make even so 
large a purchase as a single tract of that size. The 
actual settlers were poor, and as regarded ,them, 
the law amounted to an absolute denial of the ad- 
vantage of becoming freeholders. The very men 
who had the best claim to the ownership of the 
soil, and were most entitled to the protection of the 
government — the pioneer who had won the country 
by toil and peril, the farmer who was enduring the 
labour of clearing the soil, the sturdy yeomanry 
who formed the bone and muscle of the population, 
were precluded from all possibility of becoming 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAIIRISON. 59 

the owners of the homes established by their enter- 
prise, courage, and industry ; and were threatened 
with the continuance of a system which would 
have reduced them and their children into the ten- 
ants and vassals of a few wealthy nabobs. 

The grants wdiich had in several instances been 
made, of large tracts in the western country, to in- 
dividuals or companies, were liable to a similar 
objection. The direct effect was to place extensive 
regions of desirable lands in the hands of specula- 
tors, and to force the settlers to become tenants, or 
purchasers at second hand. The operation of these 
measures, if we can suppose for a moment that the 
people would have tamely submitted to them, would 
have been the building up of a class of princely 
proprietors, who would have revelled in the wealth 
earned by a hard-working tenantry. The injustice 
of such a system forcibly struck Mr. Harrison, and 
he took the earliest opportunity of exposing its de- 
fects. The efficient stand made by him on this 
question, pointed him out to the people as the pro- 
per individual to represent them on the floor of 
Congress, and to effect a change in a system, 
which, if persisted in, would have been attended 
with the most disastrous results. Mr. Harrison 
acquiesced in the will of the people, and took his 
seat in Congress. 

When the representative of the north-western 
territory entered upon his duties, the Congress was 



60 



MEMOIR OF 



distinguished by an amount of talent which has 
seldom been equalled, even in that body. Among 
other well-known names, those of Ross, Bayard, 
Harper, Gallatin, Marshall, and Giles, stood pre- 
eminent. An association with such men was an 
admirable school for the young delegate ; and his 
subsequent course has proved that he did not suffer 
the opportunity to pass unimproved. The friends 
he then made remained through life, and many of 
the most distinguished men in that Congress saw, 
in the industry, quickness, and enterprise, of Mr. 
Harrison's character, those qualities which were to 
fit him for future usefulness. To the knowledge 
which the general government then acquired of Mr. 
Harrison's capacity for public business, may be 
fairly imputed the numerous appointments which 
he afterwards received. 

One of the first acts of Mr. Harrison, in his legis- 
lative character, had reference to a subject of ab- 
sorbing interest to the western population, and he 
has the honour of having led the way in that gra- 
dual improvement in the system of disposing of the 
public domain, which has led to the present equi- 
table arrangement. After the ordinary preliminary 
steps required by prudence, he offered a resolution, 
by which a committee was raised, with instructions 
to inquire into, and report, on the then existing 
mode of selling public lands. He was appointed 
chairman of that committee, and it is believed that 



WILLIAM HENKY IIAUUISON. 61 

this is the only instance in which that distinction 
has been conferred upon a territorial delegate. 

In due time he made a report, accompanied by a 
bill, which was calculated to change the whdle sys- 
tem, and the chief feature of which was, to reduce 
the size of the tracts to a number of acres less than 
four thousand, so as to place them within the reach 
of the farmer and actual settler. It is difficult to 
imagine at this day, how a body so enlightened 
could have hesitated in the adoption of a measure 
of such obvious advantage to the government, and 
so eminently just to that hardy class who were to 
endure the toil of subduing the wilderness, and 
who had the best ri2;ht to become the owners of the 
soil. The report produced a powerful sensation, 
and gained for the chairman a reputation unexam- 
pled in the career of so young a man, and at his 
first appearance on the political arena. The docu- 
ment, however, was not, it is believed, his own ex- 
clusive production : the masterly pen and acute 
mind of iMr. Gallatin largely contributed to it; and 
although the earnest request of this able citizen, 
and the peculiar circumstances of the moment, 
forced Mr. Harrison to submit to the credit of being 
the sole author, ^the natural ingenuousness of his 
character prevented him from remaining the subject 
of undeserved eulogy an instant longer than sound 
policy required. As soon as he could honestly 
relieve himself from the constraint imposed by cir- 

6 



62 MEMOIR OP 

cumstances, he gave the merit of tlie report to Mr. 
Gallatin. 

However the fact may be, the able and discreet 
manner in which he conducted the debate, left no 
reason to suspect the authorship of the report, or 
the bill. It was warmly attacked by Cooper, of 
New- York, and by the eloquent and classic Lee, 
of Virginia. Mr. Harrison defended it alone; he 
exposed the folly and iniquity of the old system ; 
demonstrated that it could only result to the benefit 
of the wealthy monopolist and desperate land-job- 
ber, while that species of population which has 
since poured into the fertile plains of Ohio, and 
made it in forty years the third state in the union, 
must have been excluded from her borders, or 
taken the land at second-hand, from the wealthy 
purchasers from the government. 

Mr. Harrison was perfect master of the subject ; 
he had examined the whole ground, and his ardent 
zeal and manly eloquence bore down opposition. 
The bill was carried triumphantly through the 
lower house. It met with powerful opposition in 
the Senate, and a committee of conference was 
finally agreed upon between the two bodies. Messrs. 
Ross and Brown acted as managers on the part of 
the Senate, and Mr. Gallatin and Mr. Harrison on 
the part of the House of Representatives. The 
discussion at length resulted in a compromise, by 
which the land was to be sold in alternate whole 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 63 

and half sections, instead of in half and quarter 
sections, as proposed in Mr. Harrison's bill. The 
point gained, however, was immense : a reduction 
in the minimvm size of the tracts from 4000 down 
to 040 and 320 acres, was of incalculable import- 
ance, and extinguished, in a great measure, the 
splendid visions of the wealthy speculator. Had 
the bill been delayed one year, it is more than pro- 
bable that a large portion of Ohio would have been 
sold otf in four thousand acre tracts to the capital- 
ists, to the exclusion of that useful class, which has 
since given the spring to the glory and prosperity 
of the state. 

Emboldened by his success in his first attempt 
in favour of popular rights, Mr. Harrison introduced 
a resolution to change the mode of locating military 
land-warrants. He exposed in a forcible manner 
the injustice of the mode then in operation. The 
House was again favourable to his views. A com- 
mittee was authorized to sit during the session, who 
reported a bill, which was passed. 

The effect of these measures was beneficially 
felt throughout the whole region north-west of the 
Ohio, and is now seen in the prosperity of a million 
and a half of freemen. Their results upon the 
popularity of Mr. Harrison were gratifying and 
substantial. Petitions were extensively circulated 
among the new settlers, who found themselves 
secured in the invaluable privilege of becoming 



64 MEMOIR OF 

freeholders, requesting the President to appoint Mr. 
Harrison governor of the north-western territory. 
He was himself the first to oppose the object of 
these petitions. With a delicacy honourable to 
himself, and a respect for the venerable St. Clair, 
which was due to that eminent soldier, he refused 
to suffer his name to be placed in competition with 
that of his venerable friend. But as the territory 
was about this time divided, and that of Indiana 
erected, he accepted in 1801 the government of 
the latter. 

Thus far we have seen this distinguished gentle- 
man most honourably engaged in the service of 
his country. His bravery and conduct in the field 
won him the applause of Wayne, who was no in- 
different judge of merit ; and no sooner was the 
war ended, than he turned his attention to civil 
pursuits. Here we find him the zealous and able 
advocate of the best interests of the people, con- 
tending fearlessly for their rights. Though young 
and inexperienced, and though opposed by able 
and veteran statesmen, he did not shrink from his 
duty, but nobly earned the title which has since* 
been conferred upon him by common consent, — 
that of Father of the north-western territory. 

In politics, Mr. Harrison early identified himself 
with the republican party ; and though never vio- 
lent or acrimonious, he has steadily adhered to the 
political maxims of that school, and has always 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 65 

been found the zealous advocate of popular rights. 
When in office, he has never shown a disposition 
to grasp at power, but has always endeavoured to 
ascertain the wishes of the people, to comply with 
their instructions, and to advance their interests. 
The administration that first appointed him to civil 
office, knew his devotion to the principles of the 
revolution, and his zeal for the diffusion of the pure 
maxims of democracy. Neither they, their suc- 
cessors, nor the people, have ever had cause to 
repent their confidence in his patriotism. 

6* 



66 MEMOIR OP 



CHAPTER V. 

Affairs of Indiana — Duties of Mr. Harrison as 
Governor, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, 
and Commissioner for treating with the Indians. 

The powers conferred on Mr. Harrison as go- 
vernor of Indiana, and tjie extent of the, territory- 
confided to his jurisdiction, were greater than have 
ever been committed to the charge of any citizen 
of the United States, except himself. Indiana had 
the boundaries of an empire, and its governor 
powers ahTiost unlimited. Ohio having been strick- 
en off with definite boundaries, the whole of the 
remainder of the territory of the United States, be- 
yond the Ohio and Mississippi, fell within his juris- 
diction — including the wide regions that now com- 
pose Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, and for a period 
of nearly two years, the whole of Louisiana, which 
was attached to Indiana on its purchase in 1803, 
and was not erected into a separate territory until 
July, 1805. 

It was a new territory, whose institutions were 
to be formed, and whose prosperity depended on 
him who should direct its affairs. The right of 
suffrage had not been extended to the people, they 



WILLIAM IIENRV HARKISON. 67 

had no voice in the election of oflicers, or in the 
adoption of measures for their own government ; 
all power in respect to the territory and its inhab- 
itants was reserved by the general government, 
and delegated by it to the territorial governor. 

The task of governing a region so new, and so 
far distant from the better settled parts of our coun- 
try, was surrounded with difficulties. The popula- 
tion was small and widely scattered. There were 
but three principal settlements — one at the falls of 
Ohio, opposite to Louisville, another at Vincennes, 
distant from the first more than a hundred miles, 
and the other, including the French settlements, in 
the tract denominated the American Bottom, on the 
Mississippi, extending from Kaskaskia to Cahokia, 
two hundred miles from Vincennes ; Detroit was 
added at the admission of the state of Ohio into the 
union, and Louisiana when first purchased — and 
numerous other settlements grew up during the 
administration of Mr. Harrison. 

The intermediate country was in the possession 
of the Indians, and was visited by hunters, who 
often became embroiled with the savages. The 
tribes were restless and dissatisfied. Even while 
peace nominally existed, and during the short inter- 
vals when the chiefs were disposed to act in good 
faith, the innate love of the Indian for plunder, the 
sudden impulse of revenge, or the madness of in- 
toxication, impelled desperate individuals to the 



68 MEMOIR OF 

perpetration of robbery and murder ; and during 
the long and gloomy period which was only termi- 
nated by the war of 1812, the inhabitants scarcely 
enjoyed any interval of security or repose. The 
storm sometimes burst at one point, and sometimes 
at another ; here in petty depredations which were 
only vexatious, and there in acts of audacious atro- 
city. 

Between the distant settlements, the only roads 
were the paths beaten by the Indians, which were 
not accommodated with ferries or bridges. There 
were, of course, no houses of entertainment ; here 
and there an individual erected a station, consisting 
of a log house, surrounded by palisades, which 
afforded the only secure resting-places to travellers 
journeying through the wilderness. 

The seat of government was at Vincennes, a 
village beautifully situated on the Wabash, and 
inhabited chiefly by French, who, although attach- 
ed to the new authority recently placed over them, 
were entirely unacquainted with our language and 
laws, and preferred the simple institutions under 
which they had long lived at this isolated spot. 

Numerous tribes of Indians inhabited the vast 
wilderness lying beyond these settlements. With 
these the British traders from Canada carried on 
an extensive and lucrative traffic, to preserve which 
in their own hands, and to prevent the competition 
of our enterprising fellow-citizens, they spared no 



WILLIAM HENRY HARUISON. 69 

pains to embitter the minds of the Indians against 
our people and government. The period of Gene- 
ral Harrison's administration was that immediately 
preceding the second war for independence — that 
during which our commerce was lawlessly plun- 
dered on the ocean, our flag insulted, and our 
native seamen impressed into the service of a for- 
eign despot, — and throughout all which, a series 
of fruitless negotiations was prosecuted between 
our cabinet and that of Great Britain. The impla- 
cable animosity of that nation, her deafness to the 
voice of remonstrance, and her obstinate persever- 
ance in acts of oppression, rendered it certain that 
a free and high-spirited people could not long main- 
tain with her the nominal relations of peace, while 
she was thus practising actual hostility. War was 
inevitable; and our adversary, in anticipation of 
that event, instructed her agents and officers on 
the frontiers of Canada, t^ encourage the dissen- 
sions between our people and the Indians. The 
latter were accordingly bribed with liberal presents, 
furnished with arms and ammunition, and incited 
to intoxication, war, and plunder. Thus was pre- 
sented the singular spectacle of one civilized go- 
vernment endeavourino; to allure the savages to the 
arts of peace, while another sedulously counteracted 
the efibrts of humanity, and rolled back, with a gi- 
gantic arm, the progress of religion and benevo- 
lence. 



70 MEMOIR OF 

a 

Unhappily the state of affairs on the frontier 
afforded ample opportunities for carrying forward 
this detestable conspiracy against the interests of 
humanity, as well as the peace and advantage of 
both the Americans and Indians. Not only was 
every plausible cause of offence magnified, but the 
most benevolent acts of our government and peo- 
ple seized upon and misrepresented. The efforts 
made to induce the savages to abstain from the use 
of spirits, were censured as arbitrary, and the mis- 
sionaries who were sent to civilize and convert 
them, were denounced as the instruments of a pro- 
ject to destroy their ancient customs, and reduce 
them to servitude. 

In the organization of the first grade of territo- 
rial government, it was provided that the governor 
and judges should adopt and publish such laws of 
the original states, criminal and civil, as might be 
necessary, and best suited to the circumstances of 
the district; which laws should be in force until 
the organization of a legislature for the district. 
The legislative power therefore, embracing the dif- 
ficult office of selecting from the numerous statute- 
books of the different states, such provisions as were 
suited to the exigencies of a young people, fell 
chiefly upon the governor. 

All magistrates and other civil officers, and all 
militia officers below the grade of general, were 



WILLIAM IIKNRY IIARH190N. 71 

appointed by the governor ; general ofiicers in the 
militia were to be appointed by Congress. 

He was commander-in-chief of the militia. 

The sole power of dividing the district into coun- 
ties and townships, was also vested in the governor. 

Besides the pardoning, and all ordinary powers 
incidental to the office of governor, he was the 
anient and representative of the general govern- 
ment, and kept up a voluminous correspondence 
with the cabinet at Washington, in reference to the 
affairs of the territory. 

Another immense power was confided to the 
governor of Indiana — that of confirming grants of 
land to a numerous class of individuals, having 
certain equitable claims which are enumerated in 
the law. It is a little remarkable that a power so 
extensive, and so susceptible of abuse, was placed 
in the hands of a single officer, without any check 
or limitation. No other officer was required to 
countersign, or to record, these grants. The appli- 
cation was made to the governor directly, and his 
sif^nature vested a title in the claimant. There 
was no special formality, or publicity, necessary to 
give validity to the act. It might have been a 
secret proceeding between the claimant and the 
granter, and yet have been unquestionable before 
any legal tribunal. Yet such was the prudence of 
Governor Harrison, such his scrupulous attention 
to the public interest, and his nice regard for his 



72 MEMOIR OF 

own honour, that he has always been admitted to 
have discharged this duty, not only with integrity, 
but without having incurred suspicion. There are 
men who, under such circumstances, would have 
amassed splendid fortunes, by availing themselves 
of the facilities for speculation thus afforded ; but it 
is a fact highly creditable to Governor Harrison, 
and characteristic of the disinterestedness which 
has marked his public career, that he not only did 
not avail himself of these opportunities at the time, 
either directly or indirectly, but that he has never 
since taken any advantage of the intimate know- 
ledge of land titles gained in his official capacity, 
and has not to this day even owned a single acre 
of land held under a title which originally emanated 
from himself as the representative of the govern- 
ment. 

Nor were these all the labours of this disinter- 
ested patriot and indefatigable public officer. As 
governor, he was ex officio superintendent of Indian 
affairs ; and Mr. Jefferson appointed him sole com- 
missioner for treating with the Indians. The latter 
appointment he discharged for a series of years ; 
having the exclusive charge of this laborious de- 
partment, and the disbursement of the large sums 
of money appropriated by Congress to be expended 
in this quarter, in the purchase of land, and in gra- 
tuities to the tribes. The success which crowned 
his labours, and the great influence which he ac- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 78 

quired over the north-western tril)cs, fully justified 
tlie wisdom of this selection. Nearly the whole 
period of his administration was a continued series 
of treaties ; and his efficiency as a negotiator is 
amply proved in his voluminous correspondence 
with the President, and in the treaties themselves. 
By one of these he procured the extinguishment of 
the title to the largest tract of country ever ceded 
at one time by the Indians, since the settlement of 
North America. This cession embraced all that 
territory, from the mouth of the Illinois to the 
mouth of the Wisconsin, on one side, and from the 
mouth of the Illinois to the mouth of Fox river, on 
the other. A line drawn from the latter point to a 
point on the Wisconsin, thirty-six miles above its 
mouth, forms the northern boundary of the pur- 
chase, which embraces fifty-one millions of acres. 
When it is considered that this territory comprises 
the richest mineral region in the union, some idea 
may be formed of its value. 

In 1805, the territory of Indiana was erected 
into the second grade of government. By this 
change, the people advanced one step towards the 
assumption of the republican rights of suffrage and 
self-government, and were allowed to elect the 
members of the popular branch of the legislature ; 
the latter nominated ten persons, out of whom Con- 
gress chose five, who constituted the less numerous 
branch. The assembly thus organized, appointed 

7 



74 MEMOIR OF 

a delegate to Congress, who was permitted to speak 
in that body, and was entrusted with the manage- 
ment of the business of the territory, but who, not 
representing a state, could of course have no vote. 
The change was urgently pressed by Governor 
Harrison, although it deprived him of much power, 
and great patronage, as it threw into the hands of 
the people the election of some officers who had 
previously been appointed by the executive, and 
established a legislature that relieved the governor 
of many of his responsibilities. 

In this place it may not be amiss to mention 
an occurrence which establishes the purity of Mr. 
Harrison's administration, while it reflects high 
credit on his private character. A person who 
had become soured against him, in consequence 
of the active part which he took in elevating the 
territory into the second grade of government, 
made some malicious insinuations in reference to 
the integrity of his negotiations with certain of the 
Indian tribes. Governor Harrison, conceiving it 
proper to have a full investigation of the charge, 
while the subject was fresh, and the testimony 
within his reach, brought a suit against the de- 
famer, in the supreme court of the territory. In 
order that the utmost fairness might be observed, 
two of the judges left the bench during the trial ; 
one being the personal friend of the governor, and 
the other of the defendant. An impartial jury was 



WILLIAM HENKY HAKRISON. 76 

irnpannellcd, by a mode satisfactory to both parties, 
'rin' trial had not advanced far before the defend- 
ant's counsel abandoned their plea of justification, 
and contended simply for a mitigation of damages. 
The jury, after an hour's consultation, returned a 
verdict for 4000 dollars ; an immense verdict in a 
new country, where money is scarce, and where 
juries seldom give heavy damages in cases of this 
description. The property of the defendant was 
levied upon, sold, and in the absence of the gover- 
nor bought in by his agent. Two-thirds of the 
property were afterwards returned to the defendant 
by General Harrison, and the remainder given to 
the orphans of some of the gallant citizens who fell 
in battle during the last war. 



76 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER VI. 

Affairs of Indiana — The Governor's addresses to 
the Legislature* 

The speeches of Governor Harrison to the legis- 
lature, which was established when Indiana came 
into the second grade of government, are also wor- 
thy of notice. These embrace all the topics of 
legislation proper for a people just assuming their 
political rights, and preparing for admission into 
the union. They show an intimate acquaintance 
with the science of government, and with the con- 
dition of that population, and are characterized by 
an ardent love for the great principles of freedom. 
They evince also, that the office of governor was 
not a sinecure in the hands of Mr. Harrison, and 
that he participated largely in the organization of 
all the civil institutions of that state. Many men 
have been popular governors, whose good qualities 
were all of a negative character ; they have been 
respected by the people because they did no harm, 
and beloved by the members of the legislature be- 
cause they left to them all the labour and the credit 
of ruling. Mr. Harrison took his full share of duty 
and responsibility, and yet was popular. 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAKUISON. 77 

We shall make some quotations from these docu- 
ments, for the purpose of showing the benign and 
republican spirit in which Mr. Harrison wrote, as 
well as the ease and vigour of his style as a writer. 
The following is an extract from his first message, 
in 1805:— 

" Upon a careful review of our situation, it will 
be found that we have much cause of felicitation, 
whether it respects our present enjoyments, or our 
future prosperity. An enlightened and generous 
policy has for ever removed all cause of contention 
with our western neighbours. The mighty river 
which separates us from the Louisianians will 
never be stained with the blood of contendinsr na- 
' tions, but will prove the bond of our union, and 
will convey upon its bosom, in the course of many 
thousand miles, the produce of our great and united 
empire. The astonished traveller will behold upon 
either bank a people governed by the same laws, 
pursuing the same objects, and warmed with the 
same love of liberty and science. And if, in the 
immense distance, a small point should present 
itself, where other laws and other manners prevail, 
the contrast it will afford will serve the useful pur- 
pose of demonstrating the great superiority of a 
republican government, and how far the uncon- 
trolled and unbiassed industry of freemen excels 
the cautious and measured exertions of the subjects 
of despotic power. 

7» 



78 MEMOIR OF 

" The acquisition of Louisiana will form an im- 
portant epoch in the history of our country. It has 
secured the happiness of millions, who will bless 
the moment of their emancipation, and the gene- 
rous policy which has secured to them the rights 
of men. To us it has produced immediate and 
important advantages. We are no longer appre- 
hensive of waging an eternal war with the numer- 
ous and warlike tribes of aborigines that surround 
us, and perhaps being reduced to the dreadful alter- 
native of submitting to their depredations, or of ex- 
terminating them from the earth. 

"By cutting off their communication with every 
foreign power, and forcing them to procure from 
ourselves the arms and ammunition, and such of 
the European manufactures as habit has to them 
rendered necessary, we have not only secured their 
entire dependence, but the means of ameliorating 
their condition, and of devoting to some useful and 
beneficial purpose the ardour and energy of mind 
which are now devoted to war and destruction. 
The policy of the United States, with regard to the 
savages within their territories, forms a striking 
contrast with the conduct of other civilized nations. 
The measures of the latter appear to have been 
well calculated for the effect which has produced 
the entire extirpation of the unhappy people whose 
country they have usurped. It is in the United 
States alone that laws have been passed, not only 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 79 

for their safety and protection from every species 
of injury, but considerable sums of money have 
been appropriated, and agents employed, to human- 
ize their minds, and instruct them in such arts of 
civilized life as they are capable of receiving. To 
provide a substitute for the chase, from which they 
derive their support, and which, from the extension 
of our settlements is daily becoming more pre- 
carious, has been considered a sacred duty. The 
humane and benevolent intentions of the govern- 
ment, however, will for ever be defeated, unless 
effectual measures be devised to prevent the sale 
of ardent spirits to those unhappy people. The law 
which has been passed by Congress for that pur- 
pose, has been found entirely ineffectual, because 
its operation has been construed to relate to the 
Indian country exclusively. In calling your atten- 
tion to this subject, gentlemen, I am persuaded that 
it is unnecessary to remind you, that the article of 
compact makes it your duty to attend to it. The 
interests of your constituents, the interests of the 
miserable Indians, and your own feelings, will suf- 
ficicntly urge you to take it into your most serious 
consideration, and provide the remedy which is to 
save thousands of our fellow-creatures. You are 
witnesses to the abuses ; you have seen our towns 
crowded with furious and drunken savages, our 
streets flowing with their blood, their arms and 
clothing bartered for the liquor that destroys them, 



80 MEMOIR OF 

and their miserable women and children enduring 
all the extremities of cold and hunger. So destruc- 
tive has the progress of intemperance been among 
them, that whole villages have been swept away. 
A miserable remnant is .all that remains, to mark 
the names and situation of many numerous and 
warlike tribes. In the energetic language of one 
of their orators, it is a dreadful conflagration, which 
spreads misery and desolation through their coun- 
try, and threatens the annihilation of the whole 
race. Is it then to be admitted as a political 
axiom, that the neighbourhood of a civilized nation 
is incompatible with the existence of savages ? Are 
the blessings of our republican government only to 
be felt by ourselves ? And are the natives of North 
America to experience the same fate with their 
brethren of the southern continent? It is with you, 
gentlemen, to divert from those children of nature 
the ruin that hangs over them. Nor can I believe 
that the time will be considered misspent, which is 
devoted to an object so consistent with the spirit 
of Christianity, and with the principles of republic- 
anism." 

* « * * * 

" By a compact which is coeval with the estab- 
lishment of government north-west of the Ohio, 
the right of being admitted, as soon as our popula- 
tion will justify, into the great family which com- 
poses the American union, is firmly secured to us." 



WILLIAiM HENRY HARRISON. 81 

The following extracts are taken from a speech 
delivered to the legislature in August, 1807 : — 

" I have directed the auditor to lay before you, 
ffontlemen, a statement of the causes which have 
produced the embarrassments in the collection of 
the taxes for the present year, which will enable 
you to determine more correctly on the remedy to 
be applied. An amendatory act to the one which 
is now in force, may answer for the present ; but 
nothing less, in my opinion, than a total change of 
the system, will save us in future from the disa- 
greeable consequences of a deficient revenue, and 
an empty treasury. The defects in the present 
system were early foreseen ; and at the opening of 
the last session, I strongly recommended to the two 
houses the adoption of a different plan. The com- 
bination of so many circumstances, such as this 
law requires, must always render the execution of 
it uncertain and precarious. It appears to me also, 
that it is bottomed on an improper principle. The 
quantum and the ratio of the tax should be fixed by 
the legislature alone, and not by an executive offi- 
cer. This important subject, gentlemen, claims 
your earliest attention. It will require the exercise 
of much industry and patience, to remedy the evils 
which have arisen from the present unfortunate 
system, and to provide one which shall give cer- 
tainty and stability to your revenue. In afliairs of 
this kind, experience is the best guide that the 



82 MEMOIR OF 

legislator can follow. He will seek out cases that 
are parallel to the one on which he is called to act, 
and will thus possess himself of sure landmarks to 
guide him to his object. In the present instance, 
there is no necessity for a recurrence to foreign or 
distant examples; the neighbouring states afford 
precisely what we seek — a people similar in man- 
ners, in habits, and in the state of information, 
raising their revenue from the same objects. Not- 
withstanding the embarrassments which have hith- 
erto attended our financial operations, there is one 
consolatory circumstance which has been fully 
established : that a revenue equal to all our neces- 
sities can be raised ; and that too without oppression 
or inconvenience to the people." 

After some remarks relative to the law for reo-u- 
lating marriage licenses, the governor proceeds : — 

" Connected in some measure with this subject, 
is the law authorizing the general and circuit courts 
to grant divorces. The propriety and policy of 
a law of this kind have been strongly contested in 
many parts of the United States ; and it is believed 
that the principle has been everywhere condemned, 
save in one or two states only. It cannot be denied 
that the success of one applicant for a divorce, has 
always the effect of producing others, and that the 
advantages which a few individuals may derive 
from the dissolution of this solemn contract, are 
too dearly purchased by its injurious effects upon 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 83 

the morals of the community. The scenes which 
arc frequently exhibited in trials of this kind, are 
shocking to humanity. The tics of consanguinity 
and nature are loosened — the child is brought to 
give testimony against his parent — confidence and 
affection are destroyed — family secrets disclosed — 
and human nature is exhibited in its wor^ colours. 
In the time of the Roman republic, divorces might 
be obtained by a summary and easy process ; but 
so great was the abhorrence of them amongst that 
enlightened people, that in a period of five hundred 
years, but one person had been found to take ad- 
'vantage of the privilege which the law allowed. 
But when their manners became corrupted by lux- 
ury, divorces became so common that applications 
were frequently made to the college of augurs, to 
ascertain the father of a child born in legal wed- 
lock. A few years ago, there were but two in- 
stances on record, in the state of Virginia, of appli- 
cations for divorce. One only of these had been suc- 
cessful ; and although that was acknowledged to be 
a case which had as strong claims to indulgence as 
any that could happen, it was, nevertheless, opposed 
by some of the most enlightened patriots of that 
state, upon the principle that it was better for an 
individual to suffer some inconvenience, than that 
an example should be established, so injurious, as 
they supposed, to the morals of the community." 
» « # * * 



84 MEMOIR OF 

" It is probable, gentlemen, that the moment is 
not far distant when every capable man will be 
called on to assume the character of a soldier. The 
situation of our affairs on the Atlantic coast, as well 
as on this frontier, makes it necessary that there 
should be no delay in preparing ourselves for the 
worst that may happen. A restless and dissatisfied 
disposition has manifested itself amongst some of 
the neighbouring tribes, and a few individuals are 
believed to be decidedly hostile. It gives me plea- 
sure, however, to state that I have, within a few 
days, received from two of the tribes the most posi- 
tive assurances of friendship, and their unalterable 
determination to submit themselves entirely to my 
direction. These assurances, though in my opinion 
sincere, ought not to be relied upon ; and the pre- 
parations for defence ought still to go on, until the 
real disposition of all the tribes is perfectly ascer- 
tained. Although the agency of a foreign power, 
in producing the discontents among the Indians, 
cannot be questioned, I am persuaded that the 
utmost endeavours to induce them to take up arms 
would be unavailing, if one only, of the many per- 
sons who have committed murders on their people, 
could be brought to punishment. Whilst we rigor- 
ously exact of them the delivery of every murderer 
of a white man, the neglect on our part to punish 
similar offences committed on them, forms a strong 
and just ground of complaint, for which I can offer 



WILLIAM IIENRV HARKI30N. .85 

no excuse or palliation. A powerful nation render- 
ing justice to a petty tribe of savages, is a sublime 
spectacle, worthy of a great republic, and worthy 
of a people who have shown themselves as valiant 
in war, as in peace moderate and forbearing. I do 
not know, gentlemen, whether it will be in your 
power to remedy the evil complained of, as the 
defect seems to be not so much in the laws as in 
their execution. But if any means can be adopted, 
which would insure the execution of justice in cases 
in which the Indians are concerned, the measure 
would reflect honour on yourselves, and be of un- 
doubted advantage to your country." 

***** 

The following extracts are from a speech deli- 
vered in 1809:— 

" Presenting, as we do, a very extended frontier 
to numerous and warlike tribes of the aborigines, the 
state of our relations with them must always form 
an important and interesting feature in our local 
politics. It is with regret tkat I have to inform 
you that the harmony and good understanding 
which it is so much our interest to cultivate with 
those our neighbours, have for some time past ex- 
perienced a considerable interruption, and that we 
have indeed been threatened with hostilities by a 
combination formed under the auspices of a bold 
adventurer, who pretended to act under the imme- 
diate inspiration of the Deity. His character as a 

8 



86 . MEMOIR OF 

prophet would not, however, have given him any 
very dangerous influence, if he had not been as- 
sisted by the intrigues and advice of foreign agents, 
and other disaffected persons, who have for years 
omitted no opportunity of counteracting the mea- 
sures of the government with regard to the Indians, 
and filling their naturally jealous minds with sus- 
picions of the justice and integrity of our views 
towards them. 

" The circumstance which was laid hold of to 
encourage disaffection, on a late occasion, was the 
treaty made by me at Fort Wayne in the autumn 
of the last year. Amongst the difficulties which 
were to be encountered, to obtain those extinguish- 
ments of title which have proved so beneficial to the 
treasury of the United States, and so necessary, as 
the means of increasing the population of the terri- 
tory, the most formidable was that of ascertaining 
the tribes which were to be admitted as parties to 
the treaties. The subject was accordingly discussed 
in a long correspondence between the government 
and myself, and the principles which were finally 
adopted, were made as liberal towards the Indians 
as a due regard to the interests of the United States 
would permit. Of the tribes which had formed the 
confederacy in the war which was terminated by 
the peace of Greeneville, some were residents upon 
the lands which were in the possession of their 
forefathers, at the time that the first settlements 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 87 

were made in Atnerica by white people, whilst 
others were emigrants from distant parts of the 
country, and had no other claim to the tracts they 
occupied, than what a few years' residence, by the 
tacit consent of the real owners, could give. Upon 
common and general principles, the transfer of the 
title of the former description would have been 
sufficient to vest in the purchaser the legal right to 
lands so situated. But in all its transactions with 
the Indians, our government have not been content 
with doing that which was just only. Its savage 
neighbours have, on all occasions, experienced its 
liberality and benevolence. Upon this principle, 
in several of the treaties which have been made, 
several tribes have been admitted to a participation 
of their benefits, who had no title to the land ceded, 
merely because they had been accustomed to hunt 
upon, and derive part of their support from them. 
For this reason, and to prevent the Miamis, who 
were the real owners of the land, from experiencing 
any ill eflfects from their resentment, the Delawares, 
Potawatamics, and Kickapoos, were made parties 
to the late treaty at Fort Wayne. No other tribe 
was admitted, because it never had been suggested 
that any other could plead even the title of use or 
occupancy of the lands, which at that time were 
conveyed to the United States. 

" It was not until eight months after the conclu- 
sion of the treaty, and after his design of forming 



88 MEMOIR OF 

a hostile combination against the United States had 
been discovered and defeated, that the pretensions 
of the prophet, with regard to the lands in question, 
were made known. A furious clamour was then 
raised by the foreign agents among us, and other 
disaffected persons, against the policy which had 
excluded from the treaty this great and influential 
character, as he was termed; and the doing so, 
expressly attributed to personal ill-will on the part 
of the negotiator. No such ill-will did in fact exist. 
I accuse myself, indeed, of an error, in the patron- 
age and support which I afforded him upon his first 
arrival on the Wabash, before his hostility to the' 
United States had been developed ; but on no prin- 
ciple of propriety or policy could he have been 
made a party to the treaty. The personage called 
the prophet is not a chief of the tribe to which he 
belongs, but an outcast from it, rejected and hated 
by the real chiefs, the principal of whom was pre- 
sent at the treaty, and not only disclaimed on the 
part of his tribe any title to the lands ceded, but 
used his personal influence with the chiefs of other 
tribes to effect the cession. 

" As soon as I was informed that his dissatisfac- 
tion at the treaty was assigned as the cause of the 
hostile attitude which the prophet had assumed, I 
sent to inform him, that whatever claims he might 
have to the lands which had been purchased for 
the United States, were not in the least affected by 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKUISON. 89 

that purchase ; that he might come forward and 
exhibit his pretensions, and if they were really 
found to be just or equitable, the lands would be 
restored, or an ample equivalent given for them. 
His brother was deputed, and sent to me for that 
purpose ; but far from being able to show any co- 
lour of claim, either for himself or any of his fol- 
lowers, his objections to the treaty were confined 
to the assertion, that all the lands upon the conti- 
nent were the common property of all the tribes, 
and that no sale of any part of it could be valid, 
without the consent of all. A proposition so ex- 
tremely absurd, and which would for ever prevent 
any further purchase of lands by the United States, 
could receive no countenance from any friend of 
his country. He had, however, the insolence to 
declare, that by the acknowledgment of that prin- 
ciple alone could the effects of his resentment be 
avoided." * * * " I have been thus particu- 
lar, gentlemen, in giving you information upon the 
present state of our affairs with the neighbouring 
Indians, that you may have them fully before you, 
in case you should think proper to make them in 
any shape the subject of your deliberations. Al- 
though the management of the Indian affairs, in 
relation to their character as an independent peo- 
ple, and our trade with them in their own country, 
is entirely and exclusively under the control of the 
United States, it has been determined that the regu- 

8* 



90 , MEMOIR OF 

lations for the government of the latter, are of no 
force in our settlements. Every person has been 
allowed to trade with them that pleases, which 
proves a source of numberless abuses, of mischiev- 
ous effect both to the Indians and ourselves." 

" Should you think proper to pass a law, either 
prohibiting the trade of Indians within our settle- 
ments altogether, or confining it to the frontiers, 
and obliging those who follow it to take out licenses, 
I am persuaded that your constituents would re- 
ceive much benefit. It will be worthy of your con- 
sideration, also, whether some penalty might not 
be advantageously imposed upon those who, by 
improper interference, and by circulating false- 
hoods among the Indians, counteract the intentions 
of the government, and lay the foundation for dis- 
trust and enmity which may produce the most 
serious consequences." * * * "Although much 
has been done towards the extinguishment of In- 
dian titles in the territory, much still remains to be 
done. We have not sufficient space to form a tole- 
rable state. The eastern settlements are separated 
from the western by a considerable extent of Indian 
lands, and the most fertile tracts that are within 
our territorial bounds, are still their property. 
Almost entirely divested of the game from which 
they have drawn their subsistence, it has become 
of little use to them ; and it was the intention of 
the government to substitute for the precarious and 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAKKISON. 91 

scanty supplies that the chase affords, the more 
certain support which is derived from agriculture, 
and the rearing of domestic animals. By the con- 
siderate and sensible amongst them, this plan is 
considered the only one which will save them from 
utter extirpation. But a most formidable opposition 
has been raised to it by the warriors, who will 
never agree to abandon their old habits, until 
driven to it by absolute necessity. As long as a 
deer is to be found in their forests, they will conti- 
nue to hunt ; it has therefore been supposed, that 
the confining them to narrow limits was the only 
means of producing this highly desirable change, 
and averting the destiny which seems to impend 
over them. Are then those extinguishments of 
native title, which are at once so beneficial to the 
Indians, the territory, and the United Stales, to be 
suspended upon account of the intrigues of a few 
individuals ? Is one of the fairest portions of the 
globe to remain in a state of nature, the haunt of 
a few wretched savages, when it seems destined 
by the Creator to give support to a large popula- 
tion, and to be the seat of civilization, of science, 
and true religion ? It may perhaps be asked, how 
these effects can be produced by a few persons, 
whose opportunities of intercourse with the Indians 
are so very limited. Nothing is more easy than 
to excite jealousy and suspicion in savages, and to 
make them believe they are imposed upon ; and on 



92 MEMOIR OF 

no subject are their passions more easily raised, 
than on that of their lands. Every treaty that has 
been made with them has proved a work of diffi- 
culty ; besides their natural prejudices, the clashing 
interests of several tribes were to be accommodated 
— the injuries which they have received from the 
white people palliated and excused, and their fears, 
excited by seeing so many tribes driven from 
their ancient seats by the progress of our settle- 
ments, lulled or diverted by the opening of bright- 
er prospects, as the reward of their fidelity. A 
single artful or imprudent observation, from a de- 
signing or careless individual, is frequently sufficient 
to destroy the labour of weeks, and to induce the 
Indians to abandon an intention which they seemed 
to have adopted after the maturest consideration."* 
The limited size of our volume will not permit 
us to multiply these extracts ; yet it would not be 
difficult to select a variety of passages from the 
speeches of Governor Harrison, equally creditable 
to his feelings and his sagacity. The whole tenour 
of his official communications shows a mind culti- 
vated by study and reflection, an ardent zeal for 
the public service, and an enlightened benevolence 
towards all who came under his jurisdiction. His 
repeated admonitions to the legislature, and to the 
people, to render strict justice to the Indians, are 
worthy of especial notice. He never adopted 



* Dawson's Life of Harrison. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 98 

towards the inifortunale savages the reckless poli- 
cy that tended to their extermination, or the callous 
inhumanity that was regardless of their rights. He 
met their chiefs with the dignity and the kindness 
that l)ecame his station as the high functionary of 
a civilized government ; he heard their complaints 
with patience, and replied to them in the language 
of conciliation ; while he laboriously endeavoured 
to impress on his own people the observance of 
justice and humanity. During his long adminis- 
tration, though continually harassed by the jealousy, 
the vindictiveness, and the treachery of the Indians, 
there is no instance of a passionate act of revenge 
on his part. He was always calm, moderate, and 
forbearing. Though dauntless and decisive when 
called to the field, he was merciful and considerate 
as a civil magistrate. 

Nor did he neglect any of the various civil duties 
which were confided to his care. All the depart- 
ments of the government were modelled under his 
direction ; and in his communications to the legisla- 
ture, the various subjects of legislation are freely 
discussed. His speeches are frank and manly; 
and he writes with the ease, correctness, and pre- 
cision of one who was accustomed to think with 
clearness, and who possessed in a high degree the 
faculty of fluent expression. Few of our public 
documents will be found to be couched in better 
language than those of Governor Harrison. 



94 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER VII. 

Intrigues of Tecumthe and the Prophet — State 
of the frontier — Machinations of the British 
agents — Popularity of Mr. Harrison. 

In the year 1806, the celebrated impostor 01-li- 
wa-chi-ca, the prophet, called by some writers, 
from what authority we know not, E!s-kwa-taw-a, 
and his distinguished brother Tecumthe, began to 
disturb the frontier of Indiana, by a series of in- 
trigues which produced the most calamitous results. 
Tecumthe had matured a plan, suggested to him, as 
is said, by the celebrated Red Jacket, — a plan 
which the great Pontiac had attempted in vain, and 
which Little Turtle, another lofty spirit, was sup- 
posed to have favoured — to unite all the western 
tribes in a league against the white people, under 
the vain expectation that the combined Indian force 
would be sufficient to destroy all the western set- 
tlements, and drive the whites out of the great val- 
ley of the Mississippi. To effect this object, that 
crafty and daring warrior traversed the whole 
frontier, visited the different tribes, appealed ear- 
nestly to their prejudices, stirred up the recollection 
of their wrongs, and exerted upon them the subtle 



WILLIAM llENRV HAKRISON. 06 

diplomacy, and masterly eloquence, in both which 
he was so consummately skilled. 

The two brothers, who were born at the same 
birth, differed widely in character, but were well 
fitted to act together in the prosecution of such an 
enterprise. The Indian name of the prophet signi- 
fied literally " a door opened^'''' in allusion proba- 
bly to the way of deliverance he was expected to 
point out to the red men ; while the interpretation 
of the word Tecumthe is, " a panther crouching.^'' 

Tecumthe was a daring and sagacious man — a 
shrewd and fluent orator, an able military chief, 
and a successful negotiator. He was full of enthu- 
siasm, and fertile of expedient. He possessed an 
intuitive hatred towards the white men, against 
whom he had sworn eternal vengeance, and with 
whom he held himself bound to observe no mea- 
sures of conciliation, until the purposes to which he 
had devoted himself should be accomplished. Pecu- 
liarly gifted in that kind of tact which distinguishes 
the artful demagogue, he appealed successfully to 
the people — touched artfully upon topics which 
awakened the vanity, the hatred, or the love of 
plunder of the Indian; and although the chiefs 
held back from motives of policy, and the old men 
paused at the prospect of a warfare which would 
cut off their annuities, and expose them to the ven- 
geance of a powerful nation, the younger warriors 
panted to follow him to the spoil of the white man. 



96 MEMOIR OF 

The daring and improvident, the indolent, the 
thoughtless, and the intemperate — all the loose 
elements of society in the native villages — those 
who were careless of consequences, and to whom 
no change could be productive of injury — these 
were especially the minds to which Tecumthe 
addressed himself; while to the more prudent class 
he used arguments which at least won their respect, 
and in, some measure disarmed opposition. 

The prophet possessed none of the manly quali- 
ties of Tecumthe. He had no name in war, and 
was an indifferent hunter. He was crafty, cruel, 
pusillanimous, and haughty. He was also lazy and 
sensual, and, under various pretexts, obtained a 
livelihood by extorting supplies of food and other 
necessaries from the Indians. A variety of acci- 
dental circumstances gave him an ascendancy over 
the Indians, which his own talents could not have 
earned — the condition of the frontier, the supersti- 
tion of the savages, and the powerful protection of 
Tecumthe, who affected to treat his brother as a 
superior being. 

The superior mind of Tecumthe had obtained a 
complete mastery over that of the prophet; and 
when in council together, the latter never spoke. 
He was, however, a better speaker than Tecumthe, 
and his manner is said to have been more graceful 
than that of any other Indian. Without the dignity 



WILLIAM IIENKY IIAUIIISON. 97 

of Tccumthc, he possessed more persuasion and 

plausibility' 

Tlic project of governing the Indians through the 
medium of a person supposed to be in immediate 
communication with the Great Spirit, probably 
originated with Tecumthe, who found a suitable 
instrument in his cunning and unprincipled brother. 
The Shawanese, to which tribe they belonged, had 
long held the belief that they were the favourite 
tribe, in the estimation of the Great Spirit. In a 
speech made to Governor Harrison in 1803, an old 
man of that nation said that the Shawanese had 
once possessed all the knowledge in the world, but 
that having offended the Great Spirit, he had taken 
it from them and lent it to the white people, who 
would soon be obliged to surrender it to the Sha- 
wanese. Acting upon this delusion, the prophet 
commenced a series of incantations, and from time 
to time communicated the supposed r^ults of his 
intercourse with the Great SpiVit. He uttered the 
most extravagant prophecies, in reference to the 
speedy downfall of the whites, the restoration of 
the Indians to all their former hunting-grounds, 
and the resumption of the customs of their ances- 
tors. To hasten this desirable end, the Indians 
were admonished to abstain from the use of all 
articles manufactured by the whites, and to cease 
their intercourse with that hated race. Tecumthe 
acted upon this plan- He seldom ate with a white 

9 



98 • MEMOIR OF 

man, and uniformly declined all articles of food 
which were peculiar to our tables, unless when 
necessity compelled him to eat them. 

The consequences of these intrigues may be 
readily imagined. The plans of the government 
in reference to the Indians were completely thwart- 
ed. Confidence between the parties was shaken, and 
it became equally difficult to protect the settlements, 
and to carry into effect the benevolent measures 
which had been planned for the amelioration of the 
condition of the savage. 

Nor were the obstacles to the establishment of 
harmonious relations, those only which were raised 
by the Indians. Although the government desired 
to treat the tribes with kindness and liberality, and 
its views were ably seconded by Governor Harri- 
son, there was no corresponding spirit of concilia- 
tion on the part of the people of the settlements. 
Mutual and long-continued injuries had engrafted 
upon the minds of both parties a deadly feeling of 
hatred, which continually broke out in acts of ag- 
gression. The white people intruded into the hunt- 
ing-grounds of the Indians, and destroyed the game, 
without which this latter could not subsist. Hunters 
from distant settlements — from Kentucky and Ohio, 
— passed frequently into the Indian territory ; and 
as they killed deer, bear, and buffalo, merely for 
the skins, the havoc committed by them was far 
greater than that of the savages, who followed the 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 99 

chase only to procure food. In many places the 
game was almost entirely destroyed. The Indians, 
in return for these injuries, destroyed the hogs and 
cattle of the nearest settlers, believing the retalia- 
tion fair, and not waiting to inquire whether it fell 
upon the proper aggressor. 

A still more prolific source of discord was the 
illicit trade carried on with the Indians, by a few 
mercenary white men. Congress had passed laws 
to regulate the traffic with the tribes, and to prevent 
the sale of spirituous liquors to any of that race ; 
but the courts had so construed those laws as to 
confine their operation to the Indian territory, and 
had pronounced them inoperative within any state, 
or organized territorial government. The most 
shocking disorders resulted, in all the villages bor- 
dering on the frontier. The means of intoxication 
were furnished to the Indians, and they were 
cheated out of their furs and peltries. Governor 
Harrison, in one of his letters to the Secretary of 
War, remarks : " I have had much difficulty with 
the small tribes in this neighbourhood, viz. the 
Piankishaws, the VVeas, and the Eel River Miamis. 
These three tribes form a body of the most depraved 
wretches upon earth. They are daily in this town 
in considerable numbers ; and are frequently intox- 
icated to the number of thirty or forty at once, 
when they commit the greatest disorders, drawing 
their knives, and stabbing every one they meet 



100 ' MEMOIR OF 

with ; breaking open the houses of citizens ; killing 
their cattle and hogs, and breaking down their 
fences. But in all their frolics they generally suf- 
fer most themselves ; they kill each other without 
mercy."* 

"The Indian chiefs complain heavily of the 
mischiefs produced by the enormous quantity of 
whiskey which the traders introduce into their 
country. I do not believe that there are more 
than six hundred warriors upon the Wabash, and 
yet the quantity of whiskey brought here annually 
for their consumption, is said to amount to six thou- 
sand gallons. This noxious liquor not only inca- 
pacitates them to obtain a living by hunting, but it 
leads to the most atrocious crimes. Killing each 
other has become so customary amongst them, that 
it is no longer thought criminal." 

"Whether something ought not to be done to 
prevent the reproach which will attach to the 
American name and character, by the extirpation 
of so many human beings, I beg most respectfully 
to submit to the consideration of the President." 

Among the Indians, as well as among civilized 
men, there are many lawless individuals, who 
evade, or openly defy, the established regulations 
of the community to which they belong. From 
savages of this description, the frontiers suffered 



* Dawson's Life of Harrison. 



WILLIAM HENRY IlARKlSOX. 101 

much. At a time when the tribe to which they 
were attached was nominally at peace with us, and 
even when they as a body acted in good faith, small 
parties often stole into the settlements, and, under 
the cover of night, perpetrated the most atrocious 
acts of robbery and murder. 

From these various causes, there was not at any 
time a season of entire peace and security. Mur- 
ders were frequently committed, houses were burn- 
ed, property was stolen, and horses — without which 
the farmer could not carry on his labours, which 
were indispensable in the defence of the country, 
and could not be replaced — wei*e carried away. 
Retaliation followed ; and the governor was conti- 
nually called upon for redress, and clamorously 
appealed to, to lead the incensed pioneers into a 
war against the maraudins: tribes. 

Under these circumstances, councils were held 
with the Indians, and the delicate duty devolved 
upon Mr. Harrison, of conducting negotiations with 
a people thus offending, and thus exasperated. He 
had to purchase their lands, and to inculcate upon 
them the benevolent views of the government. The 
various interests and opinions of the chiefs were to 
be conciliated, and their passions to be soothed. 
Some were friendly, some mercenary, and some 
hostile; but it was necessary to unite all in any 
treaty that was made. 

Previous to such a council the British agents 

9* 



102 MEMOIR OF 

usually paid them a visit, and, by inflammatory 
speeches, poisoned their minds against us. Such 
was the speech of Colonel M'Kee, in November, 
1804. ".My children," said he, "it is true that 
the Americans do not wish you to drink any spirit- 
ous liquors, and therefore have told their traders 
that they should not carry any liquor into your 
country — but, my children, they have no right to 
say that one of your fat];ier's traders, (that is, the 
British traders,) should carry no liquor among 
his children." " My children, your father. King 
George, loves his red children, and wishes his red 
children supplied with every thing they want ; he 
is not like the Americans, who are continually 
blinding your eyes, and stopping your ears with 
good words, that taste sweet as sugar, and getting 
all your lands from you." Thus also, on a similar 
occasion, in 1805, he said to them, " My children, 
there is a powerful enemy of yours to the east, 
now on his feet, and looks mad at you, therefore 
you must be on your guard ; keep your weapons 
of war in your hands, and have a look-out for him." 
While it was the duty of Governor Harrison to 
treat with Indians thus prejudiced and incensed, 
their greatest orator, Tecumthe, the firm ally of 
the British, the inveterate foe of the Americans, 
was usually present, exerting all his energies to 
advance his own purposes, and to defeat the inten- 
tions of our government. To effect these^ objects 



WILLIAM HEXBY HARRISON. 103 

he spared no pains — in council he spoke with the 
boldness of the untamed savage, or with the subtlety 
of the trained diplomatist, as the occasion required ; 
and in the intervals between the sittings, he em- 
ployed himself in tampering with the chiefs, or in- 
flaming the minds of the multitude. He more than 
once planned the assassination of the governor; 
and his violent appeals and audacious conduct in 
the councils, on several occasions, were calculated 
to produce immediate hostilities. 

Governor Harrison felt it his duty, on more than 
one occasion, to stipulate that a certain number of 
warriors only should attend the tveaties ; yet in 
breach of these previous arrangements, and in vio- 
lation of his instructions, thev often came in larger 
numbers, and completely armed ; as if determined 
to overawe him by a show of power, or to perpe- 
trate violence under the guise of friendship. The 
man who could sit in council, surrounded bv hun- 
dreds of armed savages, burning with vindictive 
feelings, and in whose faith no confidence could be 
placed — who could \^-itness calmly the turbulent 
appeals of Tecumthe to that unruly multitude, and 
could see the workings of their fierce natures, "with- 
out betraying his own solicitude — and could control 
and sway them to his purposes, — must have been 
gitted with more than ordinarv* presence of mind, 
and powers of conciliation. He made, while go- 
vernor of Indiana, thirteax important treaties with 



104 HEMOIR OF 

the Indians, and never attempted to make one with- 
out success. By these he extinguished the Indian 
title to sixty millions of acres, for a less price than 
has since been given for a tenth part of that quan- 
tity. Mr. Jefferson, then President, testified pub- 
licly his approbation of these measures ; and the 
people, as well as the legislature of Indiana, mani- 
fested their sense of the importance of Mr. Harri- 
son's services, by complimentary resolutions. It 
is difficult to point out any department of the public 
service in which a patriotic citizen has been more 
honourably or usefully employed, or one requiring 
greater talent, application to business, and devotion 
to country. For thirteen years of civil service he 
knew neither repose nor safety. He led the life 
of a warrior, yet discharged the duties of the civil 
magistrate. He was obliged to expose his own 
person, and the lives of his family, to defend the 
homes of his people, while he was executing the 
laws, and building up the institutions of a new 
state. During all the same time, he was, on the 
part of his government, a minister of benevolence 
to the deluded tribes — inculcating peace upon them, 
and upon the injured citizens under his jurisdiction. 
When we say that duties so various, so complicated, 
and of such magnitude, were discharged with fidel- 
ity and success, we claim for Mr. Harrison a dis- 
tinguished rank among the statesmen of his native 
country. 



WILLIAM HENKY HARRISON. 105 

in connexion with Mr. Harrison's services as 
superintendent of Indian affairs, it is proper to 
allude here to his voluminous correspondence with 
tlie government, which was published with the offi- 
cial documents of that period. His numerous let- 
ters alone afibrd evidenceof great industry, as they 
comprise a mass of valuable facts. They are dis- 
tinguished by great minuteness of detail, showing 
a close and vigilant attention to all the concerns of 
his department, and are written with spirit and 
clearness. An elevated and benevolent tone of 
policy reigns throughout — a forbearing and kind 
spirit towards the Indians, becoming the high func- 
tionary of a great, civilized, and Christian people, 
together with a considerate rejrard for the interests 
of the population under his government. We dwell 
on this, because it shows great goodness of heart, 
and steadfastness of principle, connected with an 
ability for conducting public affairs. 

Such was the situation occupied by Mr. Harri- 
son during the whole period of his government of 
Indiana. His post was one of labour and responsi- 
bility, as well as great delicacy and danger. In- 
structed to pursue peace, and to avoid every appear- 
ance of a hostile or jealous disposition in his inter- 
course with the tribes, yet his situation rendered it 
necessary to be always prepared for defence. The 
intrigues of the British agents on our borders were 
at that period particularly active, and the savages 



106 MEMOIR OF 

unusually fierce, turbulent, and vindictive; and 
while all the energy and military skill of the terri- 
torial governor were placed in requisition to defend 
a long line of exposed frontier against a numerous 
and daring enemy, the American cabinet continually 
instructed him to avoid hostility, to practise for- 
bearance, and cultivate amicable relations with the 
savase. However consistent these instructions were 
with the dictates of benevolence, they were fatal to 
the security of the frontier ; our conciliatory mea- 
sures never stayed the work of desolation, but only 
afforded impunity to the lawless savage, while they 
encouraged the audacity of the foreign emissary. 
With the Indian war-whoop yelling on one hand, 
and a government commanding the peace upon the 
other — with a feeble settlement claiming protection 
at one point, and a band of martial borderers de- 
manding to be led to battle at another — wjiile the 
agents of a nation at peace with our own, urged on 
the savage, and her military posts supplied him 
with arms, there can scarcely be imagined a post 
requiring the exertion of greater skill, prudence, 
and firmness, than that of the governor of Indiana. 
Yet Mr. Harrison filled that station with honour, 
and while he gave efficient protection to the fron- 
tier, never sullied his fame by any act of military 
violence or gratuitous cruelty. The popularity of 
his administration is best illustrated by the fact, 
that at every expiration of his commission, he was 



WILLIAM HKNKV HARRISON- 107 

recommended for re-appointment by the people. On 
his first entrance upon the duties of his office, he 
had declared his intention not to hold the station a 
moment longer than his administration should be 
satisfactory to the citizens of the territory ; and at 
their request, his successive re-appointments were 
given by Mr. Adams, Mr. Jefferson, and Mr. 
Madison. 

It may not be improper to add here a few of the 
evidences which are upon record, of the decided 
approbation with which his conduct as a public 
officer was viewed by those who witnessed his ser- 
vices, and over whom his administration extended. 
The following is the expression of the sentiments 
of the citizens of St. Louis, on the occasion when 
their connexion with the territory of Indiana was 
about to cease : — 

" To his Excellency William H. Harrison, Governor, and the 
honourable the Judge3 of tlie Indiana Territory. 

" Gentlemen, 

" An arduous public service assigned you by the 
general government of the United States, is about 
to cease. The eve of the anniversary of American 
Independence will close the scene ; and on that 
celebrated festival will be organized, imder the 
most auspicious circumstances, a government for 
the territory of Louisiana. Local situation and 
circumstances forbid the possibility of a perma- 



108 MEMOIR OF 

nent political connexion. This change, however 
congenial to our wishes, and conducive to our 
happiness, will not take effect without a respectful 
expression of our sentiments to you, gentlemen, for 
your assiduity, attention, and disinterested punc- 
tuality, in the temporary administration of the go- 
vernment of Louisiana. 

" St. Louis, July 2, 1805." 

The officers of the militia, in the district of St. 
Louis, presented to Governor Harrison an address 
on the same occasion, which concludes with the 
foUowino; remark : — 

" Accept, sir, these sentiments as the pledge of 
our affectionate attachment to you, and to the mag- 
nanimous policy by which you have been guided. 
May the chief magistrate of the American nation 
duly estimate your worth and talents, and long 
keep you in a station where you have it in your 
power to gain hearts by virtuous actions, and pro- 
mulgate laws among men who know how to re- 
spect you, and are acquainted with the extent of 
their own rights." 

The Legislative Council, at its first session, in 
an address to the governor, said : — 

" The confidence which our fellow-citizens have 
uniformly had in your administration is such, that 
they have hitherto had no reason to be jealous of 
the unlimited power which you possess over our 



WILLIAM HKNKV HAFIRISON. 109 

legislntive proceedings. We ho'^ever cannot help 
rotjrcttingthat such powers should have been lodged 
in the hands of any one; especially when it is re- 
collected to what dangerous lengths the exercise 
of those powers may be extended." 

The House of Representativ<3s, on the same oc- 
casion, used the following language: — 

" Accept, sir, the thanks of t;he House of Repre- 
sentatives for the speech you niade to both houses, 
on the opening of the present session. In it we dis- 
cern the solicitude for the future happiness and 
prosperity of the territory, v/^hich has uniformly 
been evinced by your past administration." 

In the year 1809, the Houfje of Representatives 
of Indiana vnanimously requested the re-appoint- 
ment of Governor Harrison. The following is an 
extract from their resolution : — 

" They cannot forbear rec< )mmending to, and re- 
questing of, the President rmd Senate, most ear- 
nestly in their own names, and in the names of 
their constituents, the re-app ointment of their pre- 
sent governor, William Hen ry Harrison, — because 
he possesses the good wis! les and affection of a 
great majority of his fellow-i citizens ; — because they 
believe him sincerely attac-.hed to the union, the 
prosperity of the United St ates, and the adminis- 
tration of its government ;• — because they believe 
him in a superior degree cs .pable of promoting the 
interest of our territory, frc )m long experience and 

10 



110 MEMOIR OF 

laborious attention to its concerns, from his influ- 
ence over the Indians, and wise and disinterested 
management of that department ; — and because 
they have confidence in his virtues, talents, and 
republicanism." 

The other branch concurred in this resolution, 
with but two dissenting voices. 

At a meeting of the officers of the militia, for the 
county of Knox, at which the venerable Colonel 
Vigo presided, in October, 1809, the following 
resolution was passed : — 

" Resolved, That the attention paid, and the un- 
remitted exertions used, by William Henry Harri- 
son, to organize and discipline, by frequent train- 
ings, the militia of the territory, and the masterly 
skill and great military talents displayed in such 
his exertions, together with the anxious solicitude 
with which he has ever watched over the peace and 
happiness of the territory ; to which may be added, 
the confidence reposed in him by the neighbouring 
tribes of Indians, and the great facility and ease 
with which he manages their affairs, — induce this 
meeting to have great confidence in him, as emi- 
nently qualified to govern the territory, not only 
because of his superior talents, but also his integ- 
rity, patriotism, and firna attachment to the general 
government." 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. Ill 



CHAPTER VIII. 
Intrigues of Tecumthe — Council at Vincennes. 

Up to the year 1811, Tecumthe and his brother 
were cnjiafied, as we have seen, in constant in- 
trigues against the United Slates. They had dis- 
turbed all the councils that were held, and endea- 
voured to prevent every treaty that was made. 
Surrounded by a lawless band, composed of des- 
perate renegadoes from various tribes, by the young 
and hot, the dissolute and dishonest, they scarcely 
practised even the Punic faith of the Indian code. 
They asserted that all the lands inhabited by In- 
dians belonged to the tribes indiscriminately — that 
no tribe had a right to transfer any soil to the 
whites without the assent of all — and that, conse- 
quently, all the treaties that had been made were 
invalid. 

In 1808, the prophet established his principal 
place of rendezvous on the Wabash, near the 
mouth of the Tippecanoe — a spot which soon be- 
came known as the Prophet's Town. Here a thou- 
sand young warriors, such as we have described, 
rallied around him ; sallying forth in greater or 
smaller parties, to commit the most atrocious deeds 



112 I MEMOIR OF 

of depredatioiji and murder, along the whole fron- 
tier of Indian a. Vincennes, the seat of govern- 
ment, was often threatened ; and the governor's 
house was scarcely considered safe from the intru- 
sion of the maddened savages. But the prophet, 
while he exeircised his priestly function in such a 
manner as to excite the superstition of his motley 
crew of followers, was indolent, sensual, and cow- 
ardly ; and his maladministration soon reduced the 
number of his followers to less than three hundred. 
Even these were so much impoverished by their 
excesses and improvidence, that on one occasion 
they must have starved, had not the benevolence 
of Governor Harrison induced him to send them a 
supply of provisions. The return of Tecumthe, 
who had been absent on a visit to the distant tribes, 
restored order. 

In 1809, Governor Harrison purchased from the 
Delawares, Miamis, and Potawatamies, a large 
tract of country on both sides of the Wabash, and 
extending up that river about sixty miles above 
Vincennes. Tecumthe was absent, and his bro- 
ther, not feeling himself interested, made no oppo- 
sition to the treaty ; but the former, on his return, 
expressed great dissatisfaction, and threatened some 
of the chiefs with death, who had made the treaty. 
Governor Harrison, hearing of his displeasure, dis- 
patched a messenger to invite him to come to Vin- 
cennes, and to assure him, " that any claims he 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 113 

miijht have to the lands which had been ceded, 
were not afTccted by the treaty ; that he might 
come to Vincennes and exhibit his pretensions, 
and if they were found to be vaHd, the land would 
either be given up, or an ample compensation made 
for it." 

Having no confidence in the faith of Tecumthe, 
the governor directed that he should not bring 
with him more than thirty warriors ; but he came 
with four hundred, completely armed. The people 
of Vincennes were in great alarm, nor was the 
governor without apprehension that treachery was 
intended. This suspicion was not diminished by 
the conduct of the chief, who, on the morning after 
his arrival, refused to hold the council at the place 
appointed, under an affected belief that treachery 
was intended on our side. 

A large portico in front of the governor's house 
had been prepared for the purpose with seats, as 
well for the Indians, as for the citizens who were 
expected to attend. When Tecumthe came from 
his camp, with about forty of his warriors, he 
stood off, and on being invited by the governor, 
through an interpreter, to take his seat, refused, 
observing that he wished the council to be held 
under the shade of some trees in front of the house. 
When it was objected that it would be troublesome 
to remove the seats, he replied, "that it would 
only be necessary to remove those intended for the 

10* 



114 MEMOIR OF 

whites — that the red men were accustomed to sit 
upon the earth, which was their mother, and that 
they were always happy to recline upon her 
bosom." 

At this council, held on the 12th of August, 
1810, Tecumthe delivered a speech, of which we 
find the following report, containing the sentiments 
uttered, but in a language very different from that 
of the Indian orator : — 

" I have made myself what I am ; and I would 
that I could make the red people as great as the 
conceptions of my mind, when I think of the Great 
Spirit, that rules over all. I would not then come 
to Governor Harrison to ask him to tear the treaty ; 
but I would say to him. Brother, you have liberty 
to return to your own country. Once there was 
no white man in all this country : then it belonged 
to red men, children of the same parents, placed 
on it by the Great Spirit to keep it, to travel over 
it, to eat its fruits, and fill it with the same race — 
once a happy race, but now made miserable by 
the white people, who are never contented, but 
always encroaching. They have driven us from 
the great salt water, forced us over the mountains, 
and would shortly push us into the lakes — but we 
are determined to go no further. The only way 
to stop this evil, is for all the red men to unite in 
claiming a common and equal right in the land, as 
it was at first, and should be now — for it never 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 115 

was divided, but belongs to all. No tribe has a 
right to sell, even to each other, much less to 
strangers, who demand all, and will take no less. 
The white people have no right to take the land 
from the Indians who had it first — it is theirs. 
They may sell, but all must join. Any sale not 
made by all, is not good. The late sale is bad — 
it was made by a part only. Part do not know 
how to sell. It requires all to make a bargain 
for all." 

Governor Harrison, in his reply, said, " that the 
white people, when they arrived upon this conti- 
nent, had found the Miamis in the occupation of all 
the country of the Wabash ; and at that time the 
Shawanese were residents of Georgia, from which 
they were driven by the Creeks. That the lands 
had been purchased from the Miamis, who were 
the true and original owners of it. That it was 
ridiculous to assert that all the Indians were one 
nation ; for if such had been the intention of the 
Great Spirit, he would not have put six different 
tongues into their heads, but would have taught 
tltem all to speak one language. That the Miamis 
had found it for their interest to sell a part of their 
lands, and receive for them a further annuity, in 
addition to what they had long enjoyed, and the 
benefit of which they had experienced, from the 
punctuality with which the seventeen fires complied 
with their engagements ; and that the Shawanese 



116 MEMOIR OP 

had no right to come from a distant country, to 
control the Miamis in the disposal of their own 
property." 

The interpreter had scarcely finished the expla- 
nation of these remarks, when Tecumthe fiercely 
exclaimed, " It is false !" and giving a signal to his 
warriors, they sprang upon their feet, from the 
green grass on which they were sitting, and seiz€d 
their war-clubs. The governor, and the small 
train that surrounded him, were now in imminent 
danger. He was attended by a few citizens, who 
were unarmed. A military guard of twelve men, 
who had been stationed near him, and whose pre- 
sence was considered rather as an honorary than 
a defensive measure, — being exposed, as it was 
thought unnecessarily, to the heat of the sun in a 
sultry August day, had been humanely directed by 
the governor to remove to a shaded spot at some 
distance. But the governor, retaining his presence 
of mind, rose and placed his hand upon his sword, 
at the same time directing those of his friends and 
suite who were about him, to stand upon their 
guard. Tecumthe addressed the Indians in a pas- 
sionate tone, and with violent gesticulations. Major 
G. R. C. Floyd, of the U. S. army, who stood 
near the governor, drew his dirk ; Winnemak, a 
friendly chief, cocked his pistol, and Mr. Wi- 
nans, a Methodist preacher, ran to the governor's 
house, seized a gun, and placed himself in the door 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 117 

to defend the family. For a few moments all ex- 
pected a bloody rencounter. The guard was or- 
dered up, and would instantly have fired upon the 
Indians, had it not been for the coolness of Go- 
vernor Harrison, who restrained them. He then 
calmly, but authoritatively, told Tecumthe, that 
" he was a bad man — that he would have no fur- 
ther talk with him — that he must return now to his 
camp, and take his departure from the settlements 
immediately." 

The next morning, Tecumthe having reflected 
on the impropriety of his conduct, and finding that 
he had to deal with a man as bold and vigilant as 
himself, who was not to be daunted by his auda- 
cious turbulence, nor circumvented by his specious 
manoeuvres, apologized for the affront he had of- 
fered, and begged that the council might be renew- 
ed. To this the governor consented, suppressing 
any feeling of resentment which he might naturally 
have felt, and determined to leave no exertion un- 
tried, to carry into eliect the pacific views of the 
government. It was agreed that each party should 
have the same attendance as on the previous day ; 
but the governor took the precaution to place him- 
self in an attitude to command respect, and to pro- 
tect the inhabitants of Vincennes from violence, by 
ordering two companies of militia to be placed on 
duty within the village. 

Tecumthe presented himself with the same un- 



118 MEMOIR OF 

daunted bearing which always marked him as a 
superior man ; but he was now dignified and col- 
lected, and showed no disposition to resume his 
former insolent deportment. He disclaimed having 
entertained any intention of attacking the governor, 
but said he had been advised by white men to do 
as he had done. Two white men — British emis- 
saries undoubtedly — had visited him at his place 
of residence, had told him that half the white peo- 
ple were opposed to the governor, and willing to 
relinquish the land, and urged him to advise the 
tribes not to receive pay for it, alleging that the 
governor would soon be recalled, and a good man 
put in his place, who would give up the land to the 
Indians. The governor inquired whether he would 
forcibly oppose the survey of the purchase. He 
replied, that he- was determined to adhere to the 
old boundary. Then arose a Wyandot, a Kick- 
apoo, a Potawatamie, an Ottawa, and a Winnebago 
chief, each declaring his determination to stand by 
Tecumthe. The governor then said that the words 
of Tecumthe should be reported to the President, 
who would take measures to enforce the treaty ; 
and the council ended. 

The governor, still anxious to conciliate the 
haughty savage, paid him a visit next day at his 
own camp. He was received with kindness and 
attention, — his uniform courtesy, and inflexible 
firmness, having won the respect of the rude war- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 119 

riors of the forest. They conversed for some time, 
but Tecumthe obstinately adhered to all his former 
positions ; and when Governor Harrison told him, 
that he was sure the President would not yield to 
his pretensions, the chief replied, " Well, as the 
great chief is to determine the matter, I hope the 
Great Spirit will put sense enough into his head to 
induce him to direct you to give up this land. It 
is true, he is so far off, he will not be injured by 
the war. He may sit still in his town, and drink his 
wine, while you and I will have to fight it out." 

This is an accurate account of an interesting 
council, the proceedings of which have been much 
misrepresented. A love for the romantic and the 
marvellous has induced speeches to be written for 
Tecumthe, which were never delivered. His con- 
duct was distinguished on this occasion by violence, 
not by eloquence ; his art was displayed in attempts 
to intimidate the Americans, and to create an 
affray, by stirring up the vindictive feelings of his 
followers, and not by any display of argument. 



120 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER IX. 

Hostilities commenced — Governor Harrison di- 
rected to march against the Prophet^s Town* 

In 1811, the near approach of a war between 
the United States and Great Britain, rendered Te- 
cumthe and his brother more audacious than ever. 
They began to assemble a new body of warriors 
at the Prophet's Town ; the impostor practised his 
infernal incantations with great industry, and his 
gift of prophecy renewed itself with invigorated 
fecundity ; marauding parties roved more frequently 
than ever towards the settlements ; and a number 
of murders were committed on the frontiers of Illi- 
nois and Indiana. These circumstances induced 
the governor to place the territory in the best pos- 
ture for defence which its limited resources would 
admit ; and he was soon after, at his own earnest 
instance, and the repeated petitions of the people, 
directed by the President to move with an armed 
force towards the Prophet's Town. But he was 
imperatively commanded to avoid hostilities, " of 
any kind, or to any degree, not indispensably re- 
quired." 

The situation of a commander, thus ordered to 



WILLIAM IIENRV II ARKL>=!ON. 121 

the field with a limited discretion, which gave every 
advantage to the enemy, while it placed his own 
troops in constant jeopardy, was by no means en- 
viable. At the head of undisciplined troops, always 
difficult to control, and now panting for revenge, a 
continued exertion of prudence was required, to re- 
strain their impatience. Before him was a numer- 
ous army prepared for war, and led by an accom- 
plished leader ; behind him a long line of scattered 
settlements, the safety of which depended on his 
success. With the conviction, founded on evidence 
that could scarcely be deceptive, that a battle must 
be fought, the event of which must decide the fate 
of hundreds of defciiceless women and children, he 
was shackled by instructions which gave to his foe 
the important advantage of choosing the time and 
place of attack, of selecting his own ground, and 
strikini; the first blow. He was to fij^ht when at- 
tacked, but not till then — when the prophet should 
decide that the propitious hour had arrived — when 
the savage chieftain should have matured his plan, 
and the shadows of the forest should be deepened 
by the gloom of a moonless night. 

When the news reached Kentucky, that Governor 
Harrison was authorized to march against the 
Indians, the public mind was excited to enthusiasm. 
So many years had been spent in sufTering, so long 
had the Indians and their British allies devastated 
the frontier, that an opportunity for vengeance was 

11 



122 MEMOIR OF 

hailed with universal acclamation. The name of 
Harrison excited confidence and expectation. The 
western people had long witnessed his sterling 
patriotism, his unyielding intrepidity, his untiring 
industry in the public service ; and volunteers at 
once announced their readiness to follow his stand- 
ard. Many of them were men of high standing 
for military and civil character. Of this number 
were General Samuel Wells of the militia, who had 
been actively engaged in the former wars with the 
Indians — Joseph H. Daviess, an eminent lawyer, 
and a man of extraordinary talents, eloquence, and 
popularity — Colonel Abraham Owen, a veteran 
warrior in Indian warfare — and Colonel Guiger, 
who raised a small company of young men near 
Louisville ; in this army also were Croghan, O'Fal- 
lon, Shipp, Cheem, and Edwards, who afterwards 
distinguished themselves as officers in the army of 
the United States. 

The 4th regiment of United States infantry, 
commanded by Colonel Boyd, was placed under 
the orders of Governor Harrison, at his request; 
and the army then consisted of little more than nine 
hundred men, of whom about three hundred and 
fifty were infantry of the regular service, and the 
remainder volunteer militia, of whom the chief por- 
tion were from Indiana, and sixty or seventy men 
from Kentucky. One hundred and twenty were 
dragoons. The governor in person exercised these 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKRISON. 123 

troops, in that mode of formation which had been 
so successfully practised by Wayne ; giving them 
the instruction which was equally necessary for 
the regular troops and the militia, as this kind of 
manoeuvring was entirely new to the former. 

On the 28th of October, 1811, the march was 
commenced from Fort Harrison, a post on the Wa- 
bash about sixty miles above Vincennes. In the 
mean while an attempt was made, through the in- 
tervention of the Delaware and Miami tribes, to 
induce the prophet to deliver up the murderers and 
stolen horses. The impostor and his council treat- 
ed these overtures with insolence, and rejected them 
with disdain. To leave no doubt of their intentions, 
a small war-party was detached to commence hos- 
tilities; who, not meeting with any stragglers from 
our camp, advanced to the vicinity of the army, 
and fired upon a sentinel. 

The march to Tippecanoe was conducted with 
great prudence. The troops were encamped in the 
order of battle ; and they marched in a form from 
which that order could be assumed with facility, 
at a moment's warning : the infantry in two col- 
umns, in single file on each side of the trace, so 
that by a single conversion they could be formed 
in two lines to receive the enemy at any point, or 
be reduced into a hollow square — the cavalry, and 
mounted riflemen, of the latter of which there were 
two companies, covering the advance, flank, and 



124 MEMOIR OF 

rear, and exchanging positions with each other as 
the ground varied, so as to keep them upon that 
which best suited the mode of fighting they prac- 
tised respectively. The utmost vigilance was used 
to guard against surprise ; to prevent the Indians 
from availing themselves of the art of ambuscading, 
in which they are perfectly skilled ; and to save 
the army from being attacked in a disadvantageous 
position. 

The country through which the army passed 
was chiefly open, beautiful prairie, intersected by 
thick woods, deep creeks, and ravines, At some 
distance above Fort Harrison, two routes were pre- 
sented to the choice of the commander. The one 
leading along the south side of the Wabash, was 
the shorter ; but it passed through a woody uneven 
country, while that on the other side led over wide 
plains, affording few coverts for the protection of 
the insidious foe. To deceive the enemy, the go- 
vernor caused a road to be marked on the south 
side, advanced upon it for a short distance, and 
then suddenly changed his direction, and by a 
masterly operation threw his army across the river, 
to the right bank. 

The Indians were completely deceived by this 
manoeuvre, and their stratagems defeated. After 
crossing the Wabash, our army continued to ad- 
vance for three days, without seeing an Indian, or 
discovering any recent sign. But the vigilance of 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKKISON. 125 

the governor was not diminished ; his experience 
had taught him, that the Indians arc expert in lull- 
inn; the suspicions of an enemy, and that the storm 
of their vengeance is often preceded by a deceptive 
calm. 

For the purpose of keeping himself advised as to 
the position of the enemy, whose peculiar tactics 
and mode of life enable them to elude with facility 
the i)ursuit of a regular force, the governor had, 
from the commencement of his march, adopted 
the plan of keeping up an intercourse with them 
through five of the friendly Indians, and a French- 
man, who were sent from Fort Harrison, and were 
to meet him on the way. For several days he had 
heard nothing of the persons thus employed, and 
their delay in returning became a subject of serious 
uneasiness. The hostile Indians had avoided our 
troops during the whole march, and some uncer- 
tainty began to be created as to their position and 
intentions. It was doubtful whether they were am- 
bushed in advance, whether they had retired to the 
Prophet's Town to make a stand there, or had 
passed the flanks of the army, for the purpose of 
falling upon the settlements in its rear. The last 
was a manceuvre entirely practicable ; and it was 
one greatly to be dreaded, as it would have brought 
the horrors of war to the domestic fireside, and 
have caused avast destruction of life and property. 

Vincennes was at this time an outpost in the 

11* 



126 MEMOIR OF 

i 

wilderness — the most westward of a narrow and 
loosely connected line of settlements, extending 
across the territory of Indiana, from the falls of 
Ohio. It was a line having length without much 
breadth or solidity — having little strength in itself, 
and difficult to be protected. A large proportion 
of the able-bodied men were in the army, leaving 
their homes defenceless, and the country exposed 
to almost certain destruction, should a sudden inroad 
be made by the Indians. 

The uncertainty of the position of the enemy 
threw upon Governor Harrison a heavy weight of 
responsibility. Had he been opposed to a regular 
army, it would have been his duty to know its po- 
sition, and to become advised of its movements, in 
accordance with those rules of the military art, 
which are familiar to the accomplished command- 
er ; and he might have been expected to interpose 
his force between the foe and the points to be pro- 
tected, in such a manner as to insure the safety of 
the latter. But no army, however large or active, 
can present a barrier against an irruption of sav- 
ages, who, having no artillery, baggage, nor com- 
mon store of provisions, can at any moment dissolve 
tneir army into its elements, disperse themselves so 
as to leave no organized force, and re-unite at any 
point proposed to be attacked — who can pass the 
forest without roads, and the rivers without bridges, 
and leave scarcely a trace of their foot-prints. 



WILLIAM HEXRV HARRISON. 127 

Such circumstances were calculated to create 
^^reat anxiety in the mind of a commander ; and 
especially when, as the civil chief magistrate, as 
well as the military head, the whole responsibility 
rested upon himself, and it became his duty to pro- 
tect the houses of his people from outrage, while 
he was invading the strong-hold of the enemy. 
Afler crossing the river, the suspense of the go- 
vernor, on this intensely interesting subject, became 
painful. Anxious as he was to push forward, the 
idea that the enemy might even now be rushing 
upon the settlements, caused deep solicitude for the 
safety of the defenceless population at home — and 
had he retraced his steps, the measure would have 
been one of such obvious prudence, that no military 
man would have been found to censure it. 

These reflections pressed upon the governor's 
mind so heavily as to become painful, and to drive 
away the sleep which is usually so sound to him, 
who lies wrapped in his blanket by the camp fire, 
after a weary day's march. He determined to per- 
severe in his march upon the Tippecanoe Town, 
but to make further provision for the protection of 
the settlements ; he rose one night from the hard 
couch of the border leader, and dispatched his or- 
derly for Major Jordan of the Indiana volunteers, 
in whom he had great confidence. He directed 
that officer to take forty picked men, and return to 



128 MEMOIR OF 

Vincennes, to protect that post, and to place that, 
and the other settlements, upon their guard. 

The order to Jordan was minute, as well in rela- 
tion to his conduct on reaching the settlement, as 
in case of disaster to the army. In the latter event, 
he directed him to fortify the court-house in Vin- 
cennes, and other houses capable of defence, and 
place in them the women and children, and to send 
expresses to the governor of Kentucky, inviting 
volunteers from that state. By this conveyance he 
wrote to his friend Dr. Scott of Frankfort, who had 
come to Vincennes to attend Mrs. Harrison in an 
expected indisposition, and to remain with the go- 
vernor's family during his absence. This gentle- 
man, who had served in the army of Wayne with 
Harrison, had written him a letter from Vincennes, 
* urging him to caution, reminding him of the subtle 
nature of his enemy, and that his honour, as well 
as his life, depended upon his circumspection. In 
his letter, by Major Jordan, the governor informed 
his friend that his only uneasiness was for the wives 
and children of himself and his gallant fellow-sol- 
diers. That although his force was much smaller 
than it should have been for such an expedition, he 
had no fears for the issue of the campaign. That 
he well understood the danger to which he was 
personally exposed, from the knowledge which the 
Indians had of his person, and their hostility 
towards him. But that his life was in the hands 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 129 

of Providence, and his friend might rest assured 
that he would hring no disgrace upon tlic character 
of a pupil of Wayne. In the event of his fall, he 
rcconiniended his family to the care of his friend.* 

Major Jordan proceeded reluctantly on this duty, 
which, although it imposed an honourable service, 
witlidrew him from the active scenes of the cam- 
paign, and deprived him of his share of the antici- 
pated laurels. 

On the 4th of November, the army reached Pine 
creek, and prepared to cross its difficult pass. This 
stream presents a character not usually found in 
that region of country. Its course, for many miles 
above its confluence with the Wabash, is through 
a deep channel, worn into an immense mass of 



* Dr. Scott, the gentleman to whom this letter was ad- 
dressed, afterwards commanded the 1st regiment of Ken- 
tucky volunteers under General Harrison, His regiment 
composed a part of tlie detachment ordered by the general 
from Fort Wayne, to destroy the Potawatamie towns at Elk 
Hart. IJoing in bad health, the general desired him not to 
accompany the detachment, assuring him that there would 
be no fighting, as the Indians could not assemble in that 
quarter, in time to make head against the detachment. In 
despite of these remonstrances, the gallant colonel appeared 
at the head of his regiment, and declared that no other per- 
son should lead it towards the enemy, while he was able to 
mount his horse. The service was effected witliout opposi- 
lion ; but tfie patriotic colonel was taken ill upon his return, 
and shortly afterwards expired, a victim to his high sense 
of military etiquette. 



130 MEMOIR OF 

rock, the sides of which, in many places, are formed 
into perpendicular precipices. But few crossing- 
places can .be found, and these are approached by- 
deep, narrow, and difficult defiles, in passing which 
the order of a regular army must be broken, and 
its troops exposed, under the most disadvantageous 
circumstances, to the danger of an ambuscade. 
The Indian path upon which our gallant troops 
were then marching, led to one of these dangerous 
defiles. It had been selected for an ambuscade in 
the year 1786, when General George Rogers 
Clarke led an expedition into the Indian country, 
and afterwards in 1790, when Colonel Hamtramck 
marched a body of troops against the same enemy. 
With a knowledge of these facts, the governor skil- 
fully avoided the danger, by suddenly quitting the 
usual trail when near the place of crossing, and pass- 
ing the creek at another place, which he had caused 
to be reconnoitred during the preceding night. It is 
by such attention to details, and such ready adapt- 
ation of measures to present circumstances, that 
the talents of the consummate commander are dis- 
played. To be brave and skilful in battle is highly 
meritorious ; but to be wise and prudent in guard- 
ing against defeat, in securing the means of victory, 
and in sparing the effusion of blood, requires mili- 
tary genius and knowledge of the highest order. 
Leaders have gained brilliant names by their suc- 
cess in a single battle — and those who risk life for 



WILLIAM lIENRk' HARRISON. 131 

their country, deserve that country's gratitude; but 
how much greater is the merit of the commander, 
who by unceasing vigilance preserves the lives of 
his brave countrymen who follow his banner, while 
he leads them, by a carefully matured plan, to ul- 
timate victory, and at the same time that he gains 
unfading glory for his country, demonstrates that 
his triumph is not the result of a blind chance! 



132 " MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER X. 

i 

Battle of Tippecanoe. 

Heretofore we have seen Governor Harrison 
employed in negotiations for peace, and earnestly 
endeavouring to dissuade the Indians from a war 
which must prove ruinous to themselves. We have 
seen him approaching the Indian fortress with the 
circumspection of an able commander, anxious to 
avoid hostilities, but always prepared for battle — 
foiling the enemy in every attempt to deceive or 
surprise him, and instilling into his troops the con- 
fidence, the discipline, and the obedience, which 
always insure victory. We are now to see him on 
the field of battle, and to record the events of an 
engagement which ranks among the most brilliant 
in our history, and in which he achieved a victory 
as complete, as it was honourable to himself and 
his brave army. 

As this engagement has been well described by 
M'Affee, a gallant and accomplished Kentuckian, 
we shall follow his account, making some slight 
corrections from other authorities. 

" On the evening of the 5th of November, the 
army encamped at the distance of nine or ten miles 
from the Prophet's Town. It was ascertained that 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 133 

the approach of the army had been discovered be- 
fore it reached Pine creek. The traces of recon- 
noitring parties were very often seen, but no Indians 
were discovered until the troops arrived within five 
or six miles of the town on the 6th of November. 
The interpreters were then placed with the advanced 
guard, to endeavour to open a communication with 
them. The Indians would, however, return no 
answer to the invitations that were made to them 
for that purpose, but continued to insult our people 
by their gestures. Within about three miles of the 
town, the ground became broken by ravines and 
covered with timber. The utmost precaution be- 
came necessary, and every difficult pass was exa- 
mined by the mounted riflemen before the army 
was permitted to enter it. The ground being unfit 
for the operation of the squadron of dragoons, they 
were thrown in the rear. Through the whole 
march, the precaution had been used of changing 
the disposition of the different corps, that each 
might have the ground best suited to its operations. 
Within about two miles of the town, the path de- 
scended a steep hill, at the bottom of which was a 
small creek running through a narrow wet prairie, 
and beyond this a level plain partially covered 
with oak timber, and without underbrush. Before 
the crossing of the creek, the woods were very 
thick and intersected by deep ravines. No place 
could be better calculated for the savages to attack 

12 



134 MEMOIR OF 

with a prospect of success, and the governor appre- 
hended, that the moment the troops descended into 
'the hollow, they would be attacked. A disposition 
was therefore made of the infantry to receive the 
enemy on the left and rear. A company of mounted 
riflemen was advanced a considerable distance from 
the left flank to check the approach of the enemy ; 
and the other two companies were directed to turn 
the enemy's flanks, should he attack in that direc- 
tion. The dragoons were ordered to move rapidly 
from the rear, and occupy the plain in advance of 
the creek, to cover the crossing of the army from 
an attack in front. In this order the troops were 
passed over ; the dragoons were made to advance 
to give room to the infantry, and the latter having 
crossed the creek, were formed to receive the enemy 
in front in one line, with a reserve of three compa- 
nies — the dragoons flanked by mounted riflemen 
forming the first line. During all this time, Indians 
were frequently seen in front and on the flanks. 
The interpreters endeavoured in vain to bring them 
to a parley. Though sufficiently near to hear what 
was said to them, they would return no answer, 
but continued by gestures to menace and insult 
those who addressed them. Being now arrived 
within a mile and a half of the town, and the situ- 
ation being favourable for an encampment, the go- 
vernor determined to remain there and fortify his 
camp, until he could hear from the friendly chiefs. 



V 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 135 

whom he had dispatched from Fort Harrison, on 
the day he had left it, for the purpose of making 
another attempt to prevent the recurrence to hos- 
tilities. These chiefs were to have met him on the 
way, but no intelligence was yet received from 
thein. Whilst he was engaged in tracing out the 
lines of the encampment, Major Daviess and seve- 
ral other field officers approached him, and urged 
the propriety of immediately marching upon the 
town. The governor answered that his instructions 
would not justify his attacking the Indians, as long 
as there was a probability of their complying with 
the demands of the government, and that he still 
hoped to hear something in the course of the even- 
ing from the friendly Indians, whom he had dis- 
patched from Fort Harrison. 

" To this it was observed, that as the Indians 
seen hovering about the army had been frequently 
invited to a parley by the interpreters, who had 
proceeded some distance from the lines for the pur- 
pose ; and as these overtures had universally been 
answered by menace and insult, it was very evi- 
dent that it was their intention to fight j that the 
troops were in high spirits and full of confidence ; 
and that advantage ought to be taken of their ar- 
dour to lead them immediately to the enemy. To 
this the governor answered, that he was fully sen- 
sible of The eagerness of the troops ; and admitting 
the determined hostility of the Indians, and that 



136 MEMOIR OF 

their insolence was full evidence of their intention 
to fight, yet he knew them too well to believe 
that they would ever do this but by surprise, or on 
ground which was entirely favourable to their 
mode of fightinfr. He was therefore determined 
not to advance with the troops, until he knew pre- 
cisely the situation of the town, and the ground 
adjacent to it, particularly that which intervened 
between it and the place where the army then 
was — that it was their duty to fight when they 
came in contact with the enemy — it was his to 
take care that they should not engage in a situation 
where their valour would be useless, and where a 
corps upon which he placed great reliance would 
be unable to act — that the experience of the last 
two hours ought to convince every officer, that no 
reliance should be placed upon the guides, as to 
the topography of the country — that relying on 
their information, the troops had been led into a 
situation so unfavourable, that but for the celerity 
with which they changed their position, a few In- 
dians might have destroyed them : he was there- 
fore determined not to advance to the town, until 
he had previously reconnoitred, either in person, or 
by some one on whose judgment he could rely. 
Major Daviess immediately replied, that from the 
right of the position of the dragoons, which was 
still in front, the openings made by the low grounds 
of the Wabash could be seen ; that with his adju- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 137 

tant D. Floyd, he had advanced to the bank, which 
descends to the low grounds, and had a fair view 
of the cultivated fields and the houses of the town ; 
and that the open woods, in which the troops then 
were, continued without interruption to the town. 
Upon this information, the governor said he would 
advance, provided he could get any proper person 
to go to the town with a flag. Captain T. Dubois 
of Vincennes having oflered his services, he was 
dispatched with an interpreter to the prophet, desir- 
ing to know whether he would now comply with 
the terms that had been so often proposed to him. 
The army was moved slowly after, in order of bat- 
tle. In a few moments a messenger came from 
Captain Dubois, informing the governor, that the 
Indians were near him in considerable numbers, 
but that they would return no answer to the inter- 
preter, although they were sufficiently near to hear 
what was said to them, and that upon his advanc- 
ing, they constantly endeavoured to cut him off 
from the army. Governor Harrison, deeming this 
last effort to open a negotiation, sufficient to show 
his wish for an accommodation, resolved no longer 
to hesitate in treatinoj the Indians as enemies. He 
therefore recalled Captain Dubois, and moved on 
with a determination to attack them. He had not 
proceeded far, however, before he was met by 
three Indians, one of them a principal counsellor 
to the prophet. They were sent, they said, to 

12* 



138 MEMOIR OF 

know why the army was advancing upon them — 
that the prophet wished, if possible, to avoid hos- 
tiUties ; that he had sent a pacific message by the 
Miami and Potawatamie chiefs, who had come to 
him on the part of the governor — and that those 
chiefs had untbrtunately gone down on the south 
side of the Wabash. 

"A suspension of hostiUties was accordingly 
agreed upon ; and a meeting was to take place the 
next day between Harrison and the chiefs, to agree 
upon the terms of peace. The governor further 
informed them that he would go on to the Wabash, 
and encamp there for the night. Upon marching 
a short distance further, he came in view of the 
town, which was seen at some distance up the river 
upon a commanding eminence. Major Daviess and 
Adjutant Floyd had mistaken some scattering houses 
in the fields below, for the town itself. The ground 
below the town being unfavourable for an encamp- 
ment, the army marched on in the direction of the 
town, with a view to obtain a better situation be- 
yond it. The troops were in an order of march, 
calculated by a single conversion of companies, to 
form the order of battle which it had last assumed, 
the dragoons being in front. This corps, however, 
soon became entangled in ground covered with 
brush and tops of fallen trees. A halt was ordered, 
and Major Daviess directed to change position with 
Spencer's rifle corps, which occupied the open fields 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 139 

ndjacent to the river. The Indians seeing this ma- 
nccuvre, at the approach of the troops towards the 
town, supposed that they intended to attack it, and 
immediately prepared for defence. Some of them 
sallied out, and called to the advanced corps to halt. 
The governor, upon this, rode forward, and request- 
ing some of the Indians to come to him, assured 
them, that nothing was farther from his thoughts 
than to attack them — that the ground below the 
town on the river was not calculated for an encamp- 
ment, and that it was his intention to search for a 
better one above. He asked if there was any other 
water convenient besides that which the river af- 
forded ; and an Indian with whom he was well ac- 
quainted, answered, that the creek which had been 
crossed two miles back, ran through the prairie to 
the north of the village. A halt was then ordered, 
and some officers sent back to examine the creek, 
as well as the river above the town. In half an 
Iiour, Brigade Major Marston Clarke and Major 
Waller Taylor returned, and reported that they had 
found on the creek every thing that could be de- 
sirable in an encampment — an elevated spot, nearly 
surrounded by an open prairie, with water conve- 
nient, and a sufficiency of wood for fuel. 

" An idea was propagated by the enemies of 
Governor Harrison, after the battle of Tippecanoe, 
that the Indians had forced him to encamp on a 
place chosen by them as suitable for the attack 



140 MEMOIR OF 

they intended. The place^ however, was chosen 
by Majors Taylor and Clarke, after examining all 
the environs of the town ; and when the army of 
General Hopkins was there in the following year, 
they all united in the opinion that a better spot to 
resist Indians was not to be found in the whole 
country. 

*' The army now marched to the place selected, 
and encamped, late in the evening, on a dry piece 
of ground, which rose about ten feet above the level 
of a marshy prairie in front towards the town, and 
about twice as high above a similar prairie in the 
rear ; through which, near the bank, ran a small 
stream clothed with willows and brushwood. On 
the left of the encampment, this bench of land be- 
came wider; on the right 'it gradually narrowed, 
and terminated in an abrupt point, about one hun- 
dred and fifty yards from the right flank. The two 
columns of infantry occupied the front and rear. 
The right flank being about eight yards wide, was 
filled with Captain Spencer's company of eighty 
men. The left flank, about one hundred and fifly 
yards in extent, was composed of three companies 
of mounted riflemen, under Greneral Wells, com- 
manding as major." 

The front line was composed of one battalion of 
U. S. infantry, under Major Floyd, and a regiment 
of Indiana militia, under Colonel Bartholomew. 
The rear line consisted of a battalion of U. S. in- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 141 

fantry, under Captain Baen, commanding as Major, 
and four companies of Indiana volunteers, under 
Lieutenant Colonel Decker. The right flank was 
composed of Spencer's company of Indiana volun- 
teer riflemen ; the left flank of Robb's company of 
Indiana volunteers, and Guiger's, a mixed company 
of Kentucky and Indiana volunteers — a portion of 
U. S. troops turning the left front, and left rear 
angles respectively. The cavalry under Major 
Daviess were encamped in the rear of the front 
line, and lefl; flank, and held in reserve as a dispo- 
sable force. The encampment was not more than 
three-fourths of a mile from the Indian town. 

" The order given to the army, in the event of a 
night attack, was for each corps to maintain its 
ground at all hazards till relieved. The dragoons 
were directed in such case to parade dismounted, 
with their swords^ on and their pistols in their belts, 
and to wait for orders. The guard for the night 
consisted of two captain^' commands of twenty-four 
men and four non-commissioned officers ; and two 
subalterns' guards of twenty men and non-com- 
missioned officers — the whole under the command 
of a field officer of the day. 

" On the night of the 6th of November, the troops 
went to rest, as usual, with their clothes and accou- 
trements on, and their arms by their sides. The 
officers were ordered to sleep in the same manner, 
and it was the governor's invariable practice to be 



142 MEMOIR OP 

ready to mount his horse at a moment's warning. 
On the morning of the 7th, he arose at a quarter 
before four o'clock, and sat by the fire conversing 
with the gentlemen of his family, who were reclin- 
ing on their blankets waiting for the signal, which 
in a few minutes would have been given, for the 
troops to turn out. The orderly drum had already 
been roused for the reveille. The moon had risen, 
but afforded little light, in consequence of being 
overshadowed by clouds, which occasionally dis- 
charged a drizzlincr rain. At this moment the 
attack commencecjl. 

" The treacherous Indians had crept up so near 
the sentries as to hear them challenge when re- 
lieved. They intended to rush upon the sentries 
and kill them before they could fire ; but one of 
them discovered an Indian creeping towards him 
in the grass, and fired. This was immediately fol- 
lowed by the Indian yell, and a desperate charge 
npott the left flank. The guard in that quarter 
gave way, and abandoned their officer without 
making any resistance. Captain Barton's company 
of regulars, and Captain Guiger's company of 
mounted riflemen, forming the left angle of the 
rear line, received the first onset. The fire there 
was excessive ; but the troops who had lain on their 
arms, were immediately prepared to receive, and 
had gallantry to resist the furious savage assailants. 
The manner of the attack was calculated to discou- 



WILLIAM IIEMiY HAKRlbON. 143 

rage and terrify the men; yet as soon as they could 
\)e. formed and posted, they maintained their ground 
with desperate valour, though but few of them had 
ever before been in battle. The fires of the camp 
were extinguished immediately, as the light they 
atforded was more serviceable to the Indians than 
to our men" — except those opposite Barton's and 
Guiger's companies, which the suddenness of the 
attack left no time to put out. 

Upon the first alarm the governor mounted his 
horse, and proceeded towards the point of attack ; 
and findinu the line much weakened there, he or- 
dered two companies from the centre of the rear 
line to march up, and form across the angle in the 
rear of Barton's and Guiger's companies. In pass- 
inii throujih the camp towards the left of the front 
line, he met with Major Daviess, who informed 
him that the Indians, concealed behind some trees 
near the line, were annoying the troops very se- 
verely in that quarter, and requested permission to 
dislodge them. In attempting this exploit he fell, 
iniirtally wounded, as did Colonel Isaac White of 
Indiana, who acted as a volunteer in his troop. 

" In the mean time the attack on Spencer's and 
Warwick's companies, on the right, became very 
severe. Captain Spencer and his lieutenants were 
all killed, ana Captain Warwick was mortally 
wounded. The governor, in passing towards that 
flank, found Captain Robb's company near the cen- 



144 MEMOIR OF 

tre of the camp. They had been driven from their 
post; or rather, had fallen back without orders. 
He led them to the aid of Captain Spencer, where 
they fought very bravely, having seventeen men 
killed during the battle. While the governor was 
leading this company into action. Colonel Owen, 
his aid, was killed at his side. This gallant officer 
was mounted on a very white horse, and as the 
governor had ridden a grey on the day before, it is 
probable that Owen was mistaken for him, as it is 
certain that he was killed by one of the only In- 
dians who broke through the lines, and who are 
supposed to have resolved to sacrifice themselves 
in an attempt to insure victory by killing the com- 
mander-in-chief. The governor happened not to be 
mounted on his own grey ; his servant had acci- 
dentally tied that animal apart from the other 
horses belonging to the general staff*, and in the 
confusion occasioned by the attack, not being able 
to find this horse as quickly as was desirable, the 
governor mounted another. 

" Captain Prescott's company of U. S. infantry 
had filled up the vacancy caused by the retreat of 
Robb's company. Soon after Daviess was wounded, 
Captain Snelling, by order of the governor, charged 
upon the same Indians, and dislodged them with 
considerable loss. The battle was now maintained 
on all sides with desperate valour. The Indians 
advanced and retreated by a rattling noise made 



WILLIAM IIEXRY HARRISON. 145 

with deer hoofs : they fought with enthusiasm, and 
scomrd determined on victory or death." 

W'licn the day dawned, Captain SneUing's com- 
pany, Captain Posey's under Lieutenant Allbright, 
Caj)tain Scott's, and Captain Wilson's, were drawn 
from the rear, and formed on the left flank ; while 
Cook's and Baen's companies were ordered to the 
ri^ht. (Teneral Wells was ordered to take com- 
mand of the corps formed on the left, and with the 
aid of some dragoons, who were now moimted, 
and commanded by Lieutenant Wallace, to charge 
the enemy in that direction, which he did success- 
fully — driving them into a swamp through which 
the cavalry could not pursue them. "At the same 
time Cook's and Lieutenant Larrabe's companies 
with the aid of the riflemen and militia on the right 
flank, charged the Indians and put them to flight in 
that quarter, which terminated the battle." 

" During the time of the contest, the prophet 
kept himself secure on an adjacent eminence, sing- 
ing a war-song. He had told his followers that 
the Great Sptrit would render the army of the 
Americans unsuccessful, and that their bullets 
would not hurt the Indians, who would have lin-lit, 
while their enemies would be involved in thick 
darkness. Soon after the battle commenced, he 
was informed that his men were falling. He told 
them to fight on, it would soon be as he had pre- 
dicted, and then began to sing louder." 

13 



146 MEMOIR OF 

Tecumthe was not present at this engagement. 
He was absent from his people, on a visit to the 
southern tribes, whom he was endeavouring to 
unite in the league he was attempting to form 
against the United States. 

The battle of Tippecanoe gave rise to much dis- 
cussion. Some were found who censured Governor 
Harrison, and a few claimed a part of the glory of 
the day for Colonel Boyd. The discontented, how- 
ever, were chiefly those who were opposed to the 
war, and who, from party feelings, denounced as 
well the acts of the administration, as those of the 
oflicers appointed to carry them into eflfect. Mr. 
Harrison's well-known republican principles, his 
attachment to Mr. Madison, his high standing, and 
the zeal with which he seconded the views of the 
government, all conspired to render him a mark for 
party detraction. Time has silenced those idle 
rumours, and the laurels of the hero are now 
brightened by the gratitude and admiration of his 
country. The field of Tippecanoe has become 
classic ground ; the American traveller pauses there 
to contemplate a scene which has become hallowed 
by victory; the people of Indiana contemplate with 
pride the battle-ground on which their militia won 
imperishable honour, and their infant state became 
enrolled in the ranks of patriotism. 

But the handsome manner in which all the offi- 
cers who served in that engagement have since 



WILLIAM IIENKV liAKRlSON. 147 

testified to the coolness, self-possession, and intre- 
pidity of the general, has placed this matter in its 
proper light. As far as any commander is entitled 
to credit, independent of his army, he merits, and 
has received it. He shared every danger and fatigue 
to Avhich his army was exposed. In the battle, he 
was in more peril than any other individual ; for 
he was personally koown to every Indian, and ex- 
posed himself fearlessly, on horseback, at all the 
points of attack, during the whole engagement. 
Every important movement was made by his ex- 
press order. 

The Kentucky legislature, notwithstanding the 
gloom which was spread over the state by the un- 
timely loss of some of her most cherished and gal- 
lant sons, took an early opportunity of testifying 
their approbation, by the following resolution: — 

" Resolved, That in the late campaign against 
the Indians on the Wabash, Governor VV. H. Har- 
rison has, in the opinion of this legislature, behaved 
like a hero, a patriot, and a general ; and that for 
his cool, deliberate, skilful, and gallant conduct, in 
the late battle of Tippecanoe, he deserves the warm- 
est thanks of the nation." 

The legislature of Indiana, also, passed compli- 
mentary resolutions, in which the " superior capa- 
city," " integrity," and " important services" of 
the governor, are recognized in the most grateful 
terms ; while the militia who were in the engage- 



148 MEMOIR OF 

ment, at a meeting held after their return, unani- 
mously expressed their confidence in their leader, 
the cheerfulness with which they had followed him, 
and the opinion that their success was attributable 
" to his masterly conduct in the direction and ma- 
noeuvring of the troops." 

In 1816, a work was published at Keene, in 
New-Hampshire, entitled " A Journal of two cam- 
paigns of the 4th regiment of United States infantry, 
by Adam Walker, a private in the 4th regiment." 
At the thirty-first page of this book are found the 
following remarks, which form the conclusion of 
Mr. Walker's account of the battle of Tippecanoe. 
They were written by a person with whom Gene- 
ral Harrison had no acquaintance, and who doubt- 
less expressed the opinion of the common soldiers 
of that army. 

" General Harrison received a shot through the 
rim of his hat. In the heat of the action his voice 
was frequently heard, and easily distinguished, 
giving his orders in the same calm, cool, and col- 
lected rnanner, with which we had been used to 
receive them on drill or parad6. The confidence 
of the troops in the general was unlimited." 

Again he remarks, in speaking of a small portion 
of the militia who became dissatisfied by being de- 
tained from home longer than they had expected : 
*' He appeared not disposed to detain any man 
against his inclination,; being endowed by nature 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKRISON. 149 

with a lieart as humane as brave, in his frequent 
addresses to the militia, his eloquence was formed 
to persuade ; appeals were made to reason as well 
as feeling, and ntjver were they made in vain." 

On the night preceding the morning of the bat- 
tle, a negro man, who was among the followers 
of the camj), but had been missed from his duty, 
was found lurking near the governor's marquee, 
and arrested. A drum-head court-martial was 
called for his trial the next morning, of which 
Colonel Boyd was president, and the prisoner was 
convicted of having deserted to the enemy, under 
circumstances which led to the belief that he was 
engaged in a plan against the governor's life, and 
had returned secretly into camp for that purpose. 
The sentence was that the prisoner was guilty, and 
should suffer death. The sentence was approved, 
and it was intended that it should be carried into 
execution in one hour. But the troops were en- 
gaged in fortifying the camp, and could not be 
called ofT to witness the execution, and he was at 
last saved bv the benevolence of the ijovernor. The 
reasons^ for this lenity, as described by himself in 
a letter to Governor Scott of Kentucky, do great 
honour to his heart : — " The fact was that I began 
to pity him, and I could not screw myself up to the 
point of giving the fatal order. If he had been out 
of my sight, he would have been executed. But 
when he was first taken. General Wells and Colo- 

13* 



150 MEMOIR OF 

nel Owen, who were old Indian fighters, as we had 
no irons to put on him, had secured him after the 
Indian fcshion. This is done by throwing a per- 
son on his back, splitting a log and cutting notches 
in it to receive the ankles, then replacing the sev- 
ered parts, and compressing them together with 
forks, driven over the log into the ground. The 
arms are extended and tied to stakes secured in the 
same manner. The situation of a person thus 
placed, is as uneasy as can possibly be conceived. 
The poor wretch thus confined lay before my fire, 
his face receiving the rain that occasionally fell, 
and his eyes constantly turned upon me, as if im- 
ploring mercy. I could not withstand the appeal, 
and I determined to give him another chance for 
his life. I had all the commissioned officers assem- 
bled, and told them that his fate depended upon 
them. Some were for executing him, and I believe 
that a majority would have been against him, but 
for the interference of the gallant Snelling. 'Brave 
comrades,' said he, ' let us save him. The wretch 
deserves to die ; but as our commander, whose life 
was more particularly his object, is willing tp spare 
him, let us also forgive him. I hope, at least, that 
every officer of the 4th regiment will be on the side 
of mercy.' Snelling prevailed ; and Ben was brought 
to this place, where he v^^as discharged." 

This simple account of the motives which influ- 
enced Governor Harrison in the performance of an 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 151 

act of magnanimous lenity, needs little comment 
from his biographer. It shows a heart warm with 
the finest feelings of humanity, and is in consonance 
with the whole tenor of his life, in which we find. 
no act of irascible precipitation, military violence, 
or selfish revenue. The commander-in-chief of an 
army was not exalted so high in his own estima- 
tion, as to forget the feelings of the man ; and he 
could pity the wretchedness of a poor negro, 
though that negro was an assassin employed by 
savages to take his life. 

It appeared afterwards that another plan for his 
assassination had been laid by the prophet. Two 
Winnebago Indians had engaged to execute this 
detestable plan. A council was to have been held 
with the governor, attended with all the usual forms. 
The prophet and his chief men were to concede all 
disputed points, and the suspicion of the Americans 
lulled by submission. The two bravoes, who had 
devoted themselves to death, were to rush upon the 
governor at an unguarded moment, and instantly 
dispatch him. At this signal, the warriors were 
to rush from an ambuscade, and raising the terrific 
war-whoop, to attack our army during the confu- 
sion and dismay occasioned by the loss of its com- 
mander. Had this plan been persevered in, the 
governor would probably have fallen, whatever 
might have been the fate of the army. But it was 
probably too daring for the genius of the prophet, 



152 MEMOIR OF 

who, when he came to take counsel of his pillow, 
might have reflected that his own person would be 
exposed in its execution. On the night preceding 
the day when this plan was to have been put in 
action, he suddenly changed his mind, and ordered 
the attack, telHng his men that the Great Spirit had 
appeared to him and promised him success — and 
Ben, the negro, was sent into camp to murder the 
governor before the attack, or at its commence- 
ment. 

The battle of Tippecanoe was one of the most 
decisive engagements that ever was fought between 
the Indians and the whites. The numbers on either 
side were nearly equal ; the place and time of at- 
tack were chosen by the Indians, who were the 
assailants ; and who not only sought to surprise 
our troops, but fought with an audacity unprece- 
dented in the annals of savage warfare. Laying 
aside the usual cunning and caution of their pecu- 
liar system of tactics, which teaches them to avoid 
exposure, and to strike by stealth, they boldly rushed 
upon the American troops, and fought hand to hand 
with the most desperate ferocity. They were not 
only completely beaten, but their loss was unusually 
great. 

The high sense entertained by the government 
of the importance of this victory, is emphatically 
expressed in a message from the President to Con- 
gress, dated December 18, 1811. "While it is 



WILLIAM IIENRV HARRISON. 153 

deeply to be lamented," says Mr. Madison, " that 
so many valuable lives have been lost in the action 
wliich took place on the 9th ult., Congress will see 
with satisfaction the dauntless spirit and fortitude 
victoriously displayed by every description of 
troops engaged, as well as the collected firmness 
which distinguished their commander, on an occa- 
sion requiring the utmost exertion of valour and 
discipline." 

Jt was no mean jRhicvcment which could extort 
from the justice of the mild and upright Madison, a 
compliment expressed in terms of such decided ap- 
probation. 

The immediate results of this gallant victory 
were highly honourable to the commander-in-chief, 
and beneficial to the country. The frontier became 
quiet; the farmer resumed his labours, and the mo- 
ther could press her infant to her bosom, without 
shuddering at the thought of the moment when its 
blood might be shed in her presence. As the 
intelligence spread rapidly from tribe to tribe, the 
terror of our arms pervaded the Indian country, 
and the numerous warriors of that wide region of 
wilderness assembled hastily around their respec- 
tive council-fires, to deliberate on the measures 
which policy might dictate in such a crisis. Some 
of the tribes had openly, and others secretly, par- 
ticipated in the hostile schemes of Tecumthe and 
the prophet ; while others had stood aloof, awaiting 



< 



■w 



154 MEMOIR OF 

the issue of the approaching contest, and prepared 
to congratulate the party which might prove victo- 
rious. Had Harrison been beaten, the triumphant 
bands of Tecumthe, reinforced by tribes hitherto 
neutral, would have been poured upon the settle- 
ments, the tomahawk would have been bathed in 
blood, and the whole frontier have been lighted 
up with the dreadful glare of the conflagration. 
The decisive blow which Harrison had struck 
against the Indian power, at mice determined the 
doubts of the wavering, and quelled the rising spirit 
of the discontented. As far as it was possible to 
impress the minds of these fickle barbarians, the, 
impression was made ; and the governor was soon 
apprised that his bayonets had produced a deep and 
salutary conviction, which the admonitions of years 
had failed to inculcate. Deputations from a num- 
ber of tribes waited upon him, to disclaim all con- 
nexion with Tecumthe, to profess their unaltered 
friendship towards our government, and to depre- 
cate the consequences of the delusion which led to 
the recent conflict. 

The conduct of these deputies was entirely dif- 
ferent from that of the chiefs and warriors, who had 
formerly met the governor in council ; submission 
and respect were now substituted for the insolence 
which had on some previo^ps occasions marked 
their deportment. In February, 1812, the gover- 
nor received intelligence that eighty Indians, depu- 



WILLIAM IIENKY HARRISON. 155 

ties from all the tribes who were engaged in the 
hite hostilities, except the Shawanese, had arrived 
at Fort Harrison, on their way to Vincennes. He 
immediately sent a messenger to meet them, to 
inquire the reason of their coming in so large a 
body, and to propose to them to send back all but 
a few chiefs from each tribe, or that the whole 
band should come unarmed. This step he adopted 
in consequence of a private notice, which intimated 
the existence of a treacherous design against his 
person. On the arrival of the deputies, however 
they delivered up their arms without the slightest 
hesitation ; and evinced, in every particular, the 
subdued deportment of men who had been taught 
to respect the talents and power of him with whom 
they came to treat. 



156 MEMOIR OP 



CHAPTER XI. 

Declaration of War — Its effect on the West — 
Harrison called into service by the people — 
Volunteers from Kentucky* 

The deceptive calm which succeeded the battle 
of Tippecanoe, was not of long continuance. The 
Indians were awed, but not conciliated. The ap- 
proaching war between the United States and Great 
Britain revived their appetite for plunder, and Te- 
cumthe renewed his intrigues with greater activity 
than ever. The Indians again commenced their 
bloody system of border warfare, and many depre- 
dations were committed on the borders of Ohio, 
Indiana, and Illinois, at points so far distant from 
each other, as to distract public attention, and cre- 
ate an universal panic. As the murders became 
more frequent, and more aggravated by the cruel- 
ties which attended their perpetration, the alarm 
increased, until the whole frontier became an ex- 
tensive scene of dismay and suffering : the labours 
of husbandry were suspended, families deserted 
their homes and sought safety in flight, and the 
governor found himself surrounded by fugitives 
claiming protection, and by suiferers demanding 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 157 

vcngcanrc. Wc pass over all these events with (he 
riMiiark, that Governor Harrison exerted his usual ac- 
tivity in placing the country in the best posture for 
ilolbnce, in meeting the enemy at every point where 
it was possible to anticipate their approach, and in 
aflbrding to the defenceless inhabitants that protec- 
tion which was dictated as well by a high sense of 
official responsibility, as by the native benevolence 
of his disposition. 

On the 18th of June, 1812, war was declared 
against Great Britain. The eflect of this measure 
upon the western people has never been sufficiently 
appreciated ; nor have their patriotism, their sacri- 
fices, and their sufferings, received the full measure 
of applause to which they are justly entitled. 
Though more exposed than most of their fellow- 
citizens, none received the intelligence of the decla- 
ration of war with such enthusiasm, or entered into 
ihc contest with more cheerful gallantry. While 
some of those whose homes were safe from inva- 
sion, and who risked nothing by the contest, but 
the profits of an advantageous traffic, were bitterly 
denouncing the government, the western people, 
whose borders became the seat of a war with an 
enemy as unsparing as their own savage allies, and 
whose families were exposed to all its horrors, 
cheerfully acquiesced in that decision which put in 
jeopardy all that they held most dear. Instead of 
murmuring at an act of Congress which was to 

14 



158 MEMOIR OF 

bring the desolation of the firebrand and the toma- 
hawk to their firesides, they indignantly spurned 
from office those few of their representatives, who, 
preferring security to honour, advocated weaker 
counsels. The popularity of the war was sUch, 
that the whole mass of the able-bodied population 
was ready, if required, to take the field. The 
wealthiest, the most influential, the most highly 
gifted in talent, were prepared to serve in the ranks 
of patriotism. The battle for independence was 
again to be fought, and they were eager to emu- 
late, by deeds of peril, the stern republican virtues 
of their venerated forefathers. 

No sooner was war declared, than the western 
governors proceeded with alacrity to place their 
respective states and territories in a posture for de- 
fence, and to call out volunteers for distant opera- 
tions. It is no small evidence of the confidence 
reposed in the tafents, military skill, and patriotism 
of Governor Harrison, that at a time when all were 
willing to serve, and when the best abilities of this 
region might have been put in requisition, he was 
the man to whom the whole people of the west 
looked as their leader, in whose hands they were 
willing to confide the protection of their families, 
property, and honour, and who was immediately 
placed, almost by acclamation, at the head of their 
armies. 

The records of those times, too voluminous to b*^ 



WILLIAM HENKY IIARKISON. 159 

repeated here, show how justly tliat deserving pa- 
triot had earned the popularity which he enjoyed. 
His indefatigable exertions had not ceased with the 
victory at Tippecanoe. The interval between that 
time and the declaration of war, had been improved 
by him in preparing for the approaching contest, — 
in consulting with the governor of Kentucky with 
regard to the employment of the militia of that 
state, in assisting Governor Edwards to place the 
exposed frontier of Illinois in a posture for defence, 
and in pointing out to the general government the 
weak places that would be endangered by the 
breaking out of hostilities. 

Shortly after war was declared. Governor Har- 
rison received a letter from Governor Scott of Ken- 
tucky, in which the latter earnestly requested a 
conference in relation to the disposition* of the Ken- 
tucky troops, who were destined to protect the 
frontiers. Governor Harrison immediately went 
to Frankfort, where he was received with public 
honours. The militia was paraded, and the gover- 
nor of Kentucky received him in person, at the 
head of the troops, amid the firing of cannon, and 
the acclamations of the people. Such was the dis- 
tinirnished rank which even then he held amonor 
the citizens of the west. He remained at Frankfort 
several days, diligently engaged in council, giving 
all the energies of his active mind to the maturing 
of those plans on which the lives and property of 



160 MEMOIR OP 

his fellow-citizens depended. During this visit to 
Kentucky, an incident occurred, which is thus re- 
corded in the valuable biography of Harrison by 
Mr. Dawson : — 

" Governor Harrison dined in Lexington, with a 
large party of gentlemen of that town and its vicini- 
ty, all of them ardent friends to the war ; the conver- 
sation turning upon the north-western campaign, and 
the governor delivering his sentiments, similar to 
those contained in the letter, (afterwards written,) 
the company were so struck with the justice of his 
remarks, that he was urged to communicate them 
to the Secretary of War. To this he objected, on 
the ground that it might be considered as interfer- 
ing with matters which were foreign to his own 
duty, which was confined to the defence of the ter- 
ritories ; but being assured by Mr. Clay, one of 
the party, who is always alive to the true interests 
and honour of his country, that it would be well 
received by the government, the letter was written." 

In this letter, besides suggesting a system of 
operations, in which the writer displays an inti- 
mate acquaintance, as well with the military art, 
as with the actual posture of affairs throughout the 
whole western frontier, he evinces the sagacity of 
a strong and penetrating mind, by predicting events 
which, unhappily for the country, had not been an- 
ticipated by the government. 

" If it were certain," he writes, " that General 



WILLIAM HENKY HAUKlSON. 161 

Hull would be able, even with the reinforcement 
which is now about to be sent to him, to reduce 
Maiden and retake Macinac, there would be no ne- 
cessity of sending other troops in that direction. 
But I greatly fear that the capture of Macinac will 
give such eclat to the British and Indian arms, that 
the northern tribes will pour down in swarms upon 
Detroit, oblige General Hull to act entirely upon 
the defensive, and meet, and perhaps overpower, 
the convoys and reinforcements which may be sent 
him. It appears to me, indeed, highly probable 
that the large detachment which is now destined 
for his relief, under Colonel Wells, will have to 
fight its way. I rely greatly upon the valour of 
those troops, but it is possible that the event may 
be adverse to us, and if it is, Detroit mvst fall^ 
and with it every hope of re-establishing our affairs 
in that quarter until the next year." Again, he 
says : " There arc other considerations which 
strongly recommend the adoption of this measure. 
I mean the situation of Chicago, which must be in 
danger, and if it is not well supplied with provi- 
sions, the danger must be imminent." 

This letter was written on the 10th of August; 
on the 15th Chicago was taken, and the mortifying 
intelligence of the fall of Detroit, soon after, filled 
the breast of every patriot with indignant sorrow. 

Thus far we have seen Governor Harrison act- 
ing as a civil officer, and only engaging in military 

14* 



162 MEMOIR OF 

affairs when engaged in defence of his own terri- 
ton', in his executive capacity. We shall now fol- 
low him to that brilliant theatre on which his brow 
became crowned with imperishable laurels, and his 
name associated with those of our most illustrious 
warriors. He became commander-in-chief of the 
north-western army, under circumstances as re- 
markable, as they were honourable to him, to his 
fellow-citizens, and to the appointing power. He 
was called to that responsible station by the voice 
of the people, who in the hour of danger selected 
him as the individual in whose capacity and pa- 
triotism thev had most confidence, and whom thev 
esteemed most worthy to be entrusted to lead them 
to the field. 

The war had now commenced. Macinac and 
Chicago had been taken by the enemy, and De- 
troit, the most important of the north-western posts, 
was threatened by the combined British and Indian 
force. The fall of this place, and the capture of 
the army of Hull, would leave the whole frontier 
exposed — the vast region including western Penn- 
sylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and 
Missouri, would be at the mercy of a remorseless 
foe. 

The most active preparations were making in 
Ohio and Kentucky, to avert a catastrophe which 
must lead to such complete and wide-spread deso- 
lation. The governor of Ohio, as soon as advised 



WILLIAM IIKNKY HARRISON. 163 

of the precarious situation of the army of Hull, 
ordered twelve hundred militia to be embodied, 
and marched to Urbana, under Brigadier General 
Luppcr. The governor of Kentucky had organized 
five thousand five hundred men, who were waitinir 
for orders. Two thousand of these were ordered 
to rendezvous in Georgetown, to be placed under 
the orders of Brigadier General John Payne for 
immediate duty. Never did the patriotism of Ken- 
tucky shine more conspicuously than on this occa- 
sion. These citizens were not drafted unwillingly 
into the service — they were volunteers who offered 
themselves cheerfully to their country. The ranks 
were filled by men of every grade in life — young 
men of high promise, farmers who forsook com- 
fortable homes, mechanics who threw aside their 
occupations, and professional gentlemen who left 
their books and their practice, to brave the fatigues 
of the wilderness. The officers were gentlemen 
of high estimation for talents and private worth — 
among them were such men as Colonels John Allen 
and Martin D. Hardin, who stood among: the fore- 
most at the bar — Major George Madison, who was 
auditor of public accounts of the state — Colonels 
Scott and Lewis, who were experienced in Indian 
warfare — Captain John Simpson, who had been 
speaker of the house of representatives in Kentucky, 
and was now a member elect to Consress — and the 
Rev. Samuel Shannon, who volunteered as a chap- 



164 MEMOIR OF 

lain. This venerable divine bad left Princeton 
College in the early part of the revolution, to enter 
as a lieutenant in the army, in which he served 
throughout the war. Again, when the liberties of 
his country were threatened, he stepped forward, 
and at an advanced age threw himself into the 
ranks of patriotism. 

On the 16th of August the troops were reviewed 
by Governor Scott; they were addressed by the 
Rev. James Blythe, President of Transylvania Uni- 
versity, and afterwards by Henry Clay. At the 
very moment when the dastardly Hull was con- 
summating an act of unparalleled meanness, by 
surrendering an important post, and a gallant army, 
without striking a blow for the honour of our flag 
— the unrivalled orator of Kentucky was pouring 
out those strains of fervid eloquence, which would 
have kindled up the latent spark of courage in bo- 
soms less generous than those to which he appeal- 
ed, and to which the sons of the hardy pioneers 
responded in bursts of patriotic enthusiasm. These 
troops were then marched to Newport, and Cincin- 
nati. 

Such was the spirit of the west — such were the 
men over whom Harrison was called to take com- 
mand ; and we utter no extravagant compliment in 
saying, that when the best blood, the best muscle, 
the best talents of the country, were in the field, it 
was no small proof of merit to be selected to take 



WILLIAM in:\KV IIAKUISO.N. 105 

the cliief command of an army composed of such 
materials. 

Tlie manner in which the selection of General 
Harrison was made, and the reasons which induced 
his appointment, are thus recorded by M'Afiee, an 
intelligent Kcntuckian, who was an actor in these 
stirring scenes, and has since risen to high distinc- 
tion in civil office. 

"A ihw days before the actual attack on Detroit 
by General Brock, an express had been sent by 
General Hull, to hasten the reinforcement which 
had been ordered to join him from Kentucky. By 
this conveyance, several of the principal officers 
of the army had written to their friends in Cincin- 
nati, as well as to the governor of Kentucky, stat- 
ing their entire want of confidence in their com- 
mander, and their apprehensions of some fatal 
disiister from his miserable arrangements and ap- 
parent imbecility and cowardice. These letters, 
also, declared it to be the common wish of the 
army, that Governor Harrison should accompany 
the expected reinforcements. He was also very 
popular in Kentucky, and was anxiously desired 
as their commander by the troops marching from 
that state to the north-western army. But the au- 
thority with which he had been invested by the 
President, did not entitle him to command any 
corps, which was not intended for operations in the 
western territories. 



166 MEJioiii or 

"The question of giving Harrison the command 
of the detachment on the march from Kentucky for 
Detroit, presented great difficulties to the mind of 
Governor Scott. The motives to make the appoint- 
ment were numerous. He had ample testimony 
of its being the wish of the army at Detroit. The 
fourth United States regiment in particular, which 
had acquired so much fame at Tippecanoe, under 
the command of Harrison, he was assured by an 
officer of that corps, were eager to see their old 
commander again placed over them. The same 
desire was felt by the Kentucky militia ; and the 
citizens echoed their sentiments in every part of 
the state. To these may be added his own ardent 
attachment to Governor Harrison, and entire con- 
fidence in his fitness for the command. The ob- 
stacles in the way of the appointment were, that 
Harrison was not a citizen of Kentucky, the laws 
of which would not sanction the appointment of any 
other to an office in the militia ; and that a major 
general had already been appointed for the detach- 
ed militia, one only being required and admissible 
in that corps. Had Governor Scott been capable 
of shrinking from his duty and the responsibility 
of the occasion, he might have easily evaded this 
delicate business, as the day on which he was de- 
liberating upon it, was the last but one that he had 
to remain in office. That he might, however, nei- 
ther act unadvisedly, nor appear to assume tc* 



WILLIAM MKXUY IIAUUISON. 1G7 

much, in this situation, he determined to ask the 
advice of the covernor elect, and such members of 
Ct>ii;;ress, and officers of the general and state go- 
vernments, as could be conveniently collected. At 
this <v7?/r?/.f, composed of Governor Shelby, the 
Hon. Henry Clay, speaker of the house of repre- 
sentatives in Congress, the Hon. Thomas Todd, 
judge of the Federal Court, &;c., it was unani- 
mously resolved to recommend to Governor Scott, 
to give Harrison a brevet commission of major 
general in the Kentucky militia, and authorize him 
to take command of the detachment now marchin;^ 
to Detroit ; and to reinforce it with another regi- 
ment which he had called into service, and an ad- 
ditional body of mounted volunteer riflemen. The 
governor conferred the appointment agreeably to 
their advice, which was received with general ap- 
probation b^ the people, and was hailed by the 
froops at Cincinnati with the most enthusiastic joy." 
The surrender of Hull having defeated the im- 
)iudiatc object of the campaign. General Harrison's 
• hilies became even more delicate and arduous than 
ihe> would otherwise have been. He commenced 
n system of organization and discipline, to which 
he devoted a degree of severe attention and personal 
labour, under which nothini^ but a hiiih sense of 
military pride, united with patriotic devotion to his 
country, could have supported him. His own en- 
thusiasm was communicated to those around him, 



168 MEMOIR OF 

and the troops, as well as the people at large, 
looked upon him with cheerful confidence as the 
chosen leader who was destined to conduct the raw 
but brave soldiery of the west to victory. His own 
views, and the hopes of the country, received a tern 
porary check by the appointment of General Win 
Chester, of the regular army, to take the command 

Shortly after, General Harrison received a com 
munication from the war department, which in 
formed him that he had been appointed a brigadier 
general in the army of the United States ; an ap- 
pointment which he declined accepting, until he 
could learn whether his acceptance would make 
him subordinate to General Winchester. 

Mr. M'Affee remarks, " The troops had confi- 
dently expected that General Harrison would be 
confirmed in the command ; and by this time he had 
completely secured the confidence of every soldier 
in the army. He was affable and coun:eous in his 
manners, and indefatigable in his attention to every 
branch of business. His soldiers seemed td antici- 
pate the wishes of their general : it was only aeces,-, 
sary to be known that he wished something done, 
and all were anxious to risk their lives in its ao 
complishment. His men would have fought bette 
and suffered more with him, than with any other 
general in America ; and whatever might have 
been the merits of General Winchester, it was cer- 
tainly an unfortunate arrangement which trans- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 1C9 

ferred the command to him at this moment. It is 
absolutely necessary that militia soldiers should 
have great confidence in their general, if they are 
required either to obey with promptness, or to fight 
with bravery. The men were at last reconciled to 
inarch under Winchester, but with a confident be- 
fief that Harrison would be reinstated in the com- 
mand ; and which accordingly was done, as soon 
as the war department was informed of his appoint- 
ment in the Kentucky troops, and his popularity in 
the western country." 

It is only to be regretted that the command had 
not been conferred upon Harrison at an earlier pe- 
riod, as in that case the dreadful tragedy of the 
massacre at the river Raisin would not have been 
exhibited, and the British army might have been 
saved from the blackest stain ever indelibly im- 
pressed upon the military character of a nation, by 
disgraceful outrage and cowardly revenge. 

15 



170 



MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER XII. 

Unprepared state of the countr)/ at the commence- 
ment of the war — March of the volunteers — 
Their confidence in Harrison, 

Those who look back at the events of the late 
war, are not more forcibly struck with the brilliant 
success of our arms upon sea and land, than with 
the unprepared condition of the country, even for de- 
fensive warfare. The latter circumstance was used 
by the party opposed to the administration, as an 
argument against the expediency of declaring the 
war ; when in fact hostilities had for years been 
waged against us, on the frontiers and on the ocean? 
and the taking up of arms on our part was a mea- 
sure of self-defence, which had been delayed until 
longer forbearance would have been neither safe 
nor honourable. The unprepared state of the coun- 
try, under such circumstances, is an evidence of the 
pacific character of our institutions, and of the great 
reluctance with which our government or people 
consent to appeal to the last resort of nations. In- 
sulted and abused as we were, we had relied con- 
fidently upon argument and negotiation, and had I 
appealed to the justice of our enemy rather than her 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 171 

fears. The trust reposed by us in the magnanimity 
of a great nation, was misplaced ; the language of 
conciliation and manly remonstrance was new to 
the ears of despotism, and instead of winning favour, 
encouraged the foe to greater audacity of aggres- 
sion. Yet even up to the last moment there was 
no preparation for war — the insulted flag, the im- 
pressed seamen, and the ravaged frontier, failed to 
disturb the love and the habit of peace which are 
inherent elements in our national character. 

Posterity will read the history of the last war 
with a surprise bordering on incredulity. In open 
hostilities with one of the most powerful and war- 
like of nations — we began without an army, with- 
out magazines, without resources. With an exten- 
sive sea-board, and a long line of interior frontier 
accessible to the enemy, we had few ships, and 
scarcely any forts that deserved the name. 

The north-western country was especially ex- 
posed. After the capture of Hull, there remained 

' no fortress on the upper lakes, in our hands, nor 
any regular force. Corps of militia, hastily col- 

, lected, were advancing towards the lines ; but they 
were undisciplined, and destitute of supplies. Some 
idea of the condition of all these troops may be 
formed from the description given of those assem- 
bled at Newport and Cincinnati, in a letter from 

. General Harrison to the Secretary of War, dated 

: August 28, 1S12. 



172 MEMOIR OF 

He says, " 1 shall march to-morrow morning 
with the troops that I have here, taking the route 
of Dayton and Piqua. The relief of Fort Wayne 
will be my first object, and my after operations 
will be governed by circumstances, until I receive 
your instructions. 

" Considering my command as merely provi- 
sional, I shall cheerfully conform to any other ar- 
rangement which the government may think pro- 
per to make. The troops which I have with me, 
and those which are coming from Kentucky, are, 
perhaps, the best materials for forming an army 
that the world has produced. But no equal num- 
ber of men was ever collected, who knew so little 
of military discipline ; nor have I any assistance 
that can give me the least aid, if there was even 
time for it, but Captain Adams of the fourth regi- 
ment who was left here sick, and whom I have ap- 
pointed deputy adjutant general, until the pleasure 
of the President can be known. 

" No arms for cavalry have yet arrived at New- 
port, and I shall be forced to put muskets in the 
hands of all the dragoons. I have written to the 
quarter-master at Pittsburgh to request him to for- 
ward all supplies of arms, equipments, and quar- 
ter-master's stores, as soon as possible. I have 
also requested him to send down a few pieces of 
artillery, without waiting for your order ; and wait 
your instructions as to a further number. There 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 173 

is but one piece of artillery, an iron four-pounder, 
anywhere that I can hear of in the country. If it 
is intehded to retake tlie posts that we have lost, 
and reduce Maiden, this season, the artillery must 
be sent on as soon as possible. There is no longer 
a possibility of getting money for drafts in this 
country. The paymaster (General Taylor's de- 
puty) continues to act, and I have been obliged to 
agree with the bank here, called the Miami Export- 
ing Company, that the United States shall be at the 
expense and risk of sending on specie for the drafts 
that are now given for the pay of the troops, and 
for the quarter-master's department." 

Having received advices informing him that Fort 
Wayne was invested by a large body of Indians, 
and was in danger of being reduced. General Har- 
rison hastened, without waiting for the orders of 
government, to march to the relief of that place ; 
but on the 5th of September was obliged to halt, to 
await a supply of flints, a small but indispensable 
article. 

The few facts which we have stated, show the 
importance of the duties intrusted to General Har- 
rison, and the insufficiency of the means with which 
he was to operate. With a line of frontier to pro- 
tect of several hundred miles in extent, composed 
of a wilderness without roads, — a vast wilderness 
of forest, intersected with swamps and streams of 
diiRcult passage — without the ordinary means of 

15* 



174 MEMOIR OP 

receiving or conveying information, and destitute 
of depots of provisions and munitions of war — op- 
posed to well-trained battalions, aided by hordes 
of savages who could move unobserved from point 
to point — he had an army without discipline, cav- 
alry without swords, artillery-men without guns, 
infantry without flints, and paymasters without 
money. Most of these deficiencies were eventually 
supplied through his own exertions ; and in addition 
to the usual duties of commander-in-chief, he was 
obliged to attend personally to the drilling of the 
soldiers, the procurement of arms, munitions, and 
camp equipage, and the arrangement of pecuniary 
resources. His indefatigable attention to these va- 
rious details soon won the respect and confidence 
of the army. A writer of that day says, " Briga- 
dier General Harrison is at Piqua with 2000 Ken- 
tucky soldiers, and 2000 more in his rear. Har- 
rison's presence appears to inspire every person 
with courage, and makes even cowards brave. His 
present conduct evinces a determination to retrieve 
the injured reputation of our country. He has 
made a most animating speech to the friendly na- 
tives at Piqua, who are numerous and suing for a 
continuation of peace." 

On the 9th of September the army arrived at 
Shane's Crossing of the St. Mary's, not far from 
Fort Wayne; and on the 11th the general wrote to 
the Secretary of War, " You need not fear the 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 175 

issue of the action, wliich I expect will take place 
to-morrow. My troops are in liigh spirits, and 
will, I ann persuaded, do honour to themselves and 
their country." 

The anticipations of the general were not real- 
ized. Instead of having to fight his way to the 
fort, he found the positions of the besieging army 
abandoned. The enemy fled at his approach ; 
and he had the merit of relieving that import- 
ant post, by his prompt and skilful conduct, with- 
out any expenditure of blood. 

Previous to the arrival of General Winches- 
ter, who had been ordered to take the com- 
mand, General Harrison employed himself in 
measures to strike terror into the hostile Indians. 
Detachments were sent to destroy the Indian 
towns, and the corn-fields, in the surrounding 
region, some of which the general attended in per- 
son. Large quantities of corn were destroyed, 
and the enemy disabled, from the want of subsist- 
ence, from embodying themselves for any further 
mischief. 

The arrival of General Winchester to take the 
command caused much discontent among the troops. 
M' A flee says, he had been a revolutionary officer, 
and was now advanced in years. He was a 
wealthy citizen of Tennessee, where he had lived 
many years, in a degree of elegant luxury and 
«ase, which was not calculated to season him for 



176 MEMOIR OF 

a northern campaign in the forest. His arrival 
produced much uneasiness among the troops ; being 
a regular officer with whom they were unac- 
quainted, many of the military seemed disposed 
not to be commanded by him; and General 
Harrison, with the field officers, had to exert 
all their influence to reconcile the army to the 
change." 



WILLIAM HENRV IIAUKISON. 177 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Harrison appointed Commander-in-chief — Extent 
of his command — Difficulties hij which he was 
surrounded — Plan of operations. 

When General Harrison retired from the army, 
his intention was to return to his residence in In- 
diana, and resume his duties as governor of that 
territory, from which he had been called by the 
urgent request of his fellow-citizens. He had felt 
himself obliged to obey that call, when it was made, 
because there was no other commander in the field ; 
but when the President, unaware of the wishes of 
the western people, designated another individual 
as commander-in-chief, it became Mr. Harrison's 
obvious duty to acquiesce cheerfully in the deci- 
sion. 

No sooner, however, did the President learn the 
actual state of affairs on the frontier, that Mr. Har- 
rison was the choice of the whole western people, 
and that ho had been industriously enfrawed in 
making extensive preparations for active operations, 
y than he saw the propriety of conferring on him the 
chief command. Accordingly, when Governor 
Harrison reached Piqua, on his return, he met an 
express, conveying to him the following dispatch : 



178 MEMOm OF 

" War Department, Sept. 17, 1812. 
" Sir, 

" The President is pleased to assign to you the 
command of the north-western army, which in ad- 
dition to the regular troops and rangers in that 
quarter, will consist of the volunteers and militia 
of Kentucky, Ohio, and three thousand from Vir- 
ginia and Pennsylvania, making your whole force 
ten thousand men. 

" Having provided for the protection of the west- 
ern frontier, you will retake Detroit, and with a 
view to the conquest of Upper Canada, you will 
penetrate that country as far as the force under 
your command will in your judgment justify. 

" Every exertion is making to give you a train 
of artillery from Pittsburgh ; to effect which, you 
must be sensible, requires time. Major Stoddard, 
the senior officer of artillery at that place, will ad- 
vise you of his arrangements and progress, and 
receive your instructions. Captain Gratiot, of the 
engineers, will report himself to you, from Pitts- 
burgh ; he will receive your orders, and join you 
with the first piece of artillery which can be pre- 
pared, or receive such orders as you may direct. 
Major Ball, of the 2d regiment of dragoons, will 
also report himself, and join you immediately. 
Such staff officers as you may appoint conformably 
to law, will be approved by the President. 

"Copies of all contracts for supplying provisions 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 179 

have been transmitted. Mr. Denny, the contractor 
at Pittsburgh, is instructed to furnish magazines of 
provisions at such places as you may direct. 

" The deputy quarter-master at Pittsburgh will 
continue to forward stores and munitions of every 
kind, and will meet your requisitions. 

" Colonel Buford, deputy commissary, at Lex- 
ington, is furnished with funds, and is subject to 
your orders. Should an additional purchasing 
commissary become necessary, you will appoint one, 
and authorize him to draw and sell bills on this de- 
partment. It seems advisable to keep the local con- 
tractors in requisition as far as they can supply. 
With these objects in view, you will command such 
means as may be practicable, exercise your own 
discretion, and act in all cases according to your 
own judgment. 

" Very respectfully, dec. 

" W. EusTis. 
"Brig. Gen. Wm. H. Harrison." 

In a letter to Governor Shelby, of the same date, 
the Secretary remarks, "It has been determined 
to vest the command of all the forces on the west- 
ern and north-western frontier, in an officer whose 
military character, and knowledge of the country, 
appeared to be combined with the public confi- 
dence. General Harrison has accordingly been 
appointed to the chief command, with authority to 
employ officers, and to draw from the public stores. 



180 MEMOIR OF 

and every other practicable source, all the means 
of effectuating the object of his command." 

The command bestowed on General Harrison 
was the most extensive and important that was 
ever intrusted to any officer of the United States — " 
Washington and Greene excepted. The territory 
assigned to him was very large, and contained an 
endless number of posts and scattered settlements 
which he was required to defend against numerous 
hordes of Indians, at the same time that he carried 
forward the regular operations of the campaign 
against a well-disciplined British army. His forces 
were raw, undisciplined militia — full of ardour, 
self-devotion, and patriotism, but wholly destitute 
of the habits or experience of the soldier. The dif- 
ficulties which he had to encounter were of no 
ordinary character, and imposed a weight of duty 
which required an union of all the qualities that con- 
stitute an able leader. The commissariat of the 
army was wretchedly appointed, and almost with- 
out organization; and the general found himself 
called upon to act in the wilderness, far from the 
country from which his supplies must be drawn, 
distant from all highways or other channels of in- 
tercourse, and without any regular system for fur- 
nishing provisions to his army. A trackless and 
swampy desert, almost impassable for heavy wa- 
gons, and filled with hostile savages, intervened 
between the seat of war and the nearest settlements. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 181 

On the other hand, the most ample powers were 
given to the general ; he was permitted to make 
appointments in all the various departments of his 
army, and the olTicers thus designated by himself, 
were confirmed by the President. He was autho- 
rized to draw on the government for money to an 
unlimited amount, and to make any contracts 
which he might deem expedient, for the furnishing 
of his army. These extraordinary powers were 
exercised by him with moderation, and with ener- 
gy. Though clothed with authority inferior only 
to that of the President, and far greater than that 
conferred on any other commander, he always con- 
ducted himself with the prudence of a citizen who 
understood the respect due to the laws, and the re- 
sponsibility which he owed the people. 

It is worthy of remark, that this extensive com- 
mand was conferred on General Harrison by Mr. 
Madison, whose official relations had been such as 
to enable him to form an accurate opinion of the 
capacity of the individual whom he thus trusted. 
Mr. Madison was called to the office of Secretary 
of State, by Mr. Jetfcrson, in 1801, shortly after 
^fr. Harrison had been appointed governor of In- 
diana. They had both served throughout the whole 
eight years of the administration of Mr. Jefferson ; 
and the Secretary of State must have been well 
advised of the estimation in which the territorial 
go%ernor was held by the President. He doubtless 

16 



182 MEMOIR OF 

had access to the voluminous correspondence of 
Mr. Harrison, on subjects of grave importance and 
immediate interest. No man in the nation had a 
more intimate knowledge of all Mr. Harrison's offi- 
cial acts, or was possessed of more ample testimo- 
ny upon which to form a judgment of his capacity 
and habits of transacting business. This illustrious 
patriot became President in 1809, and Mr. Harri- 
son remained in office under him, enjoying his con- 
fidence, as he had enjoyed that of Mr. Jefferson. 

It was therefore after an intimate official inter- 
course of nearly twelve years, that the President 
conferred on General Harrison the chief command 
of an important division of the army, and intrusted 
him with powers and responsibilities the most 
weighty and delicate. It was with such a know- 
ledge of the character of the new commander-in- 
chief, that he gave him an unlimited command of 
means, and authorized him to " act in all cases 
according to his own judgment." 

With the force now under his command, Gene- 
ral Harrison proceeded to St. Mary's, and thence 
to Defiance, where he found General Winchester 
encamped. During the march the troops suffered 
much. The weather was cold and rainy, and the 
army being unprovided with tents, were greatly 
exposed. General Harrison and his staff were in 
the same situation, and endured similar hardships. 
The following description of a bivouac of one even- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 183 

ing on tlmt marcli, is given as a specimen of what 
was customary during this campaign. The troops, 
boinir on a forced march, were not suffered to halt 
until dark. They were then formed, as nearly as 
practicable, in the order of a regular encampment, 
and tiie proper guards posted. The ground now 
spoken of was on the bank of the Au Glaise river, 
in a flat beech bottom, which was nearly covered 
with water, from the rain which fell in torrents 
during the whole night. The troops were destitute 
of axes, and could only procure such fuel as was 
furnished by the dry limbs lying scattered on the 
ground. Those who could find a dry log, against 
which a fire could be kindled, were fortunate; 
many sat, without fire, upon their saddles, at the 
roots of trees, against which they leaned, and en- 
deavoured to sleep. Being separated from the bag- 
gage, few had any thing to eat, or drink. The 
men became peevish, and were not sparing in their 
complaints. To set an example to the soldiers, and 
give a ditfcrcnt turn to their thoughts, the general, 
who, with his staff, sat at a small fire, wrapped in his 
cloak, receiving the rain as it fell, requested one of 
his olficers to sing an Irish song, — the humour of 
which, and the determination evinced at head quar- 
ters to make the best of the circumstances, soon pro- 
duced good-humour throughout the camp.* An- 

* Dawson. 



184 31EMOIR OF 

Other officer sang a song, of which the chorus 
was: 

" Now 's the time for mirth and glee, 
Sing, and laugh, and dance with me." 

The ludicrous contrast between these words, and 
the gloom of the woods and the tempest, produced 
such an impression, that they soon became prover- 
bial ; and whenever afterwards the army was placed 
in a similar situation — when enduring the pelting 
of the storm, or wadincj to the knees in mud and 
ice, some gallant spirit would roar out, — 

" Now 's the time for mirth and glee," 

and the whole line of march would take up the 
words, in full chorus. 

This rapid movement had been induced by an 
express from General Winchester, bearing the in- 
telligence that his march had been impeded by par- 
ties of Indians ; and that on arriving near Defiance, 
he had discovered that they were accompanied by 
British troops, with artillery. At the same time a 
communication from Governor Meigs, with a letter 
from General Kelso, commanding a body of Penn- 
sylvania militia on Lake Erie, conveyed the intel- 
ligence, that on the 16th of September, 2000 In- 
dians, with some British regulars and militia, had left 
Fort Maiden on an expedition against Fort Wayne.* 



* M'Affee. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 185 

The proinptitiido with which General Harrison 
moved towards the jxtint threatened hy tlic enemy, 
was creditahle to his zeal and capacity. But before 
his arrival, the enemy, whose force had been mag- 
nili^jd by report, had retired. 

An incident wiiich occurred on the arrival of 
General Harrison at ^^ inchester's camp, is too 
honourable to himself, and the troops, to be omit- 
ted ; and we shall do but justice to our contempo- 
rary, Mr. Butler, by extracting it from his history 
of Kentucky, as he has written it. 

" Soon after General Harrison's arrival at camp, 
and after he had retired to enjoy some little repose, 
so welcome to one who had been exposed on the 
preceding comfortless and forced expedition, he 
found himself suddenly awakened by Colonel Allen 
and Major M. D. Hardin. These officers were the 
bearers of the mortifying news, that Allen's regi- 
ment, exhausted by the hard fare of the campaign, 
and disappointed in the expectation of an immediate 
engagement with the enemy, had, in defiance of 
their duty to their country, and all the earnest re- 
monstrances of their officers, determined to return 
home. These officers assured General Harrison 
that they could do nothing with their men ; that 
their representations were answered by insults 
alone. They begged the general to rise and inter- 
fere, as the only officer who had any prospect of 
bringing the mutineers back to their duty. He re- 

16 '^ 



186 mj:moik of 

fused to interfere at that time ; but assured the gen- 
tlemen that he would attend to the serious object 
of their request, in his own way, and at his own 
time. The officers retired ; in the mean time Ge- 
neral Harrison sent one of his aids to direct Gene- 
ral Winchester to order the alarm to be beat on the 
ensuing morning, instead of the reveille. This 
adroit expedient brought all the troops to their 
arms, the first thing in the morning. It diverted 
the spirits of the discontented troops into a new 
channel of feeling ; and prepared them for the sub- 
. sequent events." 

" On the parading of the troops at their posts, 
General Winchester was ordered to form them 
into a hollow square. General Harrison now ap- 
peared upon parade, m.uch to the surprise of the 
troops, who, from his late arrival in camp, were un- 
apprised of his presence. If the sudden and unex- 
pected arrival of their favourite commander had so 
visible an effect upon the men, his immediate ad- 
dress to them fully preserved the impression. He 
began by lamenting that there was, as he was in- 
formed, considerable discontents in one of the Ken- 
tucky regiments: this, although a source of mortifica- 
tion to himself, on their account, was happily of little 
consequence to the government. He had more troops 
than he knew well what to do with, at the present 
stage of the campaign ; and he was expecting daily 
the aYrival of the Virginia and Pennsylvania quo- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 187 

tas. It was fortunate, said this officer, with the 
ready oratory for which his native Virginia is so 
famed, that he had found out this dissatisfaction 
before the campaign was farther advanced, when 
the discovery might have been mischievous to the 
public interests, as well as disgraceful to the par- 
ties concerned. Now, so far as the government 
was interested, the discontented troops, who had 
come to the woods with the expectation of finding 
all the luxuries of home and peace, had full liberty 
to return. He would, he continued, order facilities 
to be furnished for their immediate accommodation. 
But he could not refrain from expressing the mor- 
tification he anticipated from the reception they 
would meet from the old and the young, \^ho had 
greeted them on their march to the scene of war, 
as their gallant neighbours." 

" What must be their feelings, said the general, 
to see those whom they had hailed as their gene- 
reus defenders, now returninsr without striking- a 
blow, and before their term of plighted service had 
expired? But if this would be the state of public 
sentiment in Ohio, what would it be in Kentucky? 
If their fathers did not drive back their dcijenerate 
sons to the field of battle, to recover their wounded 
honour, their mothers and sisters would hiss them 
from their presence. If, however, the discontented 
men were disposed to put up with all the taunts and 



188 MEMOIR OF 

disdain wnich awaited them wherever they might 
go, they were at full liberty to go back." 

The influence of this animated address was in- 
stantaneous. This was evinced in a manner most 
flattering to the tact and management of the com- 
mander. Colonel J. M. Scott, the senior colonel 
of Kentucky, addressed his men. " You, my boys," 
said the generous veteran, " will prove your attach- 
ment for the service of your country, and your 
general, by giving him three cheers." The appeal 
was effective, and the air resounded with shouts. 
Colonel Lewis took the same course, and a similar 
effect resulted. The noble Allen then appealed to 
the disaffected regiment, and, with a feeling which 
almost choked his utterance, called upon his men 
to follow the patriotic example of the other Ken- 
tucky regiments. They also threw up their voices 
in loud acclamation, while many a sob of deep 
feeling was mingled with the shout of military 
ardour. They returned cheerfully to their duty ; 
and no troops served more faithfully, until the fatal 
day when most of them gave their lives to their 
country, on the bloody field of Raisin. 

We take this occasion to remark, that on various 
occasions the eloquence of General Harrison was 
exerted with admirable effect, throughout the whole 
of his military career. It was his practice to win 
obedience by kindness, and to enforce the perform- 
ance of duty by appeals to the reason of his troops. 



WILLIAM HENKY HARRISON. 189 

His experience and good sense taught him that mi- 
litia — Irecnien serving voluntarily in the ranks of 
patriotism — did not expect, nor deserve, the same 
kind of treatment as is observed towards mercena- 
ry troops. Those who olfered their services on 
such occasions, were the high-spirited and gene- 
rous ; they were the choice men of a magnanimous 
population ; they had talent, intelligence, and chiv- 
alry; and their leaders were the popular men of 
the region. The commander who would have 
offended such men by an arrogant bearing, or have 
attempted to wound their pride by disgraceful pun- 
ishments, would have shown himself a bad judge 
of human nature. General Harrison adopted the 
opposite course; and while he observed a strict 
military etiquette, and required obedience from those 
under him, always treated his men with respect ; 
considering every soldier a patriot, who wae mak- 
ing sacrifices for his country, and reflecting that 
each had the delicate feelings of pride, which are 
always found associated with generous valour, and 
disinterested love of country. IXuring the whole 
of his command, he never caused nor permitted a 
degrading punishment to be inflicted on a militia 
soldier. Like a father, he often gave in private the 
affectionate admonition, which precluded the neces- 
sity of a public exposure, and produced the desired 
end ; or availing himself of his remarkable talent 
for extemporaneous speaking, he addressed his 



190 MEMOIR OF 

troops in strains of elegant and forcible eloquence, 
which won them to their duty ; while his series of 
general orders were full of animating appeals to 
the reason, patriotism, and sense of duty of his 
brave fellow-soldiers. 

General Harrison is a man of remarkably con- 
ciliatory habits and manners. It is seldom that an 
individual of so ardent a temperament is endowed 
with such evenness of temper. He is by nature 
kind, has great warmth of heart, and buoyancy of 
spirits ; and though easily excited, is not readily 
discouraged, or awakened to anger. 

This has been the great secret of his popularity. 
His talents and public services have commanded 
respect ; but his uniform good temper, considerate- 
ness, and forbearance, — his conciliating manners, 
and his freedom from the arbitrary habits, and pas- 
sionate bearing, which sometimes accompany great 
military talents, won for him the love and confi- 
dence of those who followed him to the field. 
Their commander, their companion in danger and 
privation, he was on all occasions their friend and 
fellow-citizen. He demanded no homage to which 
he was not entitled. He claimed only what his 
commission gave, what his talents as a commander 
assured to him, and his qualities as a gentleman 
confirmed to be his right. 

The immediate objects of the campaign commit- 
ted to the sole direction of General Harrison, were, 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 191 

'Jic recapture of Detroit, and the expulsion of the 
British from the territory of the United States — tlie 
protection of the north-western and western border 
— and the reduction of Maiden in Upper Canada. 

The extensive line of frontier committed to his 
protection, included the whole of the shores of the 
northern lakes, of which the numerous harbours 
and mouths of rivers were undefended by fortifica- 
tions, and easily accessible to the enemy ; while it 
also comprised the detached settlements on the 
Wabash and the Mississippi, which were exposed 
to the depredations of the Indians. 

The means for effecting these objects were wholly 
inadequate. The soldiers were militia, hastily raised, 
badly armed, and badly clothed. No regular sys- 
tem for furnishing supplies had as yet been estab- 
lished in any department of the army. Steamboats 
had not at that period been introduced upon i!he 
western waters ; nor was there a turnpike road 
west of the Ohio river. The points at which the 
various corps of the army were to operate, were far 
beyond the settlements ; and the w^agons or pack- 
horses employed in the transportation of stores or 
baggage, were driven through a wilderness encuni- 
bered with a luxuriant vegetation — over a rich deep 
soil, whose porous and spongy surface became con- 
verted by every rain into an almost impassable 
niire — and through swamps, as gloomy and un- 
wholesome as they were difficult to be passed. 



192 MEMOIR OF 

There are few difficulties which may not be sur- 
mounted by genius and perseverance, with the 
proper aids ; but it will be seen that the govern- 
ment was enabled to give but little assistance to 
General Harrison, and that he was obliged to ac- 
complish much by his personal influence, which 
ought properly to have been effected by the regular 
operation of several different departments organized 
by law, and controlled by their proper chiefs. He 
was intrusted with the delicate responsibility of ap- 
pointing officers in the purchasing and disbursing 
departments, assigning to them their duties, and 
drawing in their favour for moneys to an unlimited 
amount. He was obliged to appeal personally to 
the governors of Ohio and Kentucky for their co- 
operation ; and was happy in finding, in Meigs and 
Shelby, men whose patriotism was of the elevated 
character which the emergency of the times, and 
their own high stations, required. His calls upon 
the people were made in many instances upon his 
individual responsibility ; while the volunteers who 
followed him to the field were often so disheartened 
by the hardships they had to endure, and the want 
of all the comforts and necessaries to which they 
were entitled, that they were only induced to per- 
severe in the generous enterprise in which they had 
engaged, by his eloquent harangues, and the con- 
tinual exertion of his personal popularity. 

We shall not attempt to enumerate the different 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 193 

corps which served under General Harrison in thia 
campaign ; nor to place upon our brief record the 
names of the patriotic gentlemen who were leaders 
under him. They are omitted, not from any want 
of a due appreciation of their services, but because 
■we have not room for these particulars: we are not 
writing a history of the war, but recounting the 
public services of one distinguished individual. His 
meritorious deeds, with those of other gentlemen, 
whose services deserve equally to be remembered 
by their countrymen, will be found related in more 
minute detail, in the several histories of the war. 
We make this explanation now, that none may ex- 
pect to find in this work more than it professes to 
give — a biography of Harrison. 

A few remarks only are necessary as to the great 
objects of the campaign, and its leading movements. 
To recapture Detroit, and to break up the power 
of the enemy by driving them from Maiden, were 
the main purposes; while it was necessary in the 
mean while to watch the movements of their troops, 
and defend the frontier settlements. Before Gene- 
ral Harrison arrived at Defiance, he had already 
formed a plan of operations, which elicited from 
the galUmt and accomplished engineer, Colonel 
Wood, the hifrhest encomium on the military so- 
nius of the commander-in-chief. The point from 
which the principal movement upon the enemy was 
to be made, was the Rapids of the Miami of the 

17 



194 MEMOIR OF 

Lake. This was the point of concentration. A 
military base was formed, extending from Upper 
Sandusky on the right, to Fort Defiance on the 
left. At these extreme points the right and left 
corps of the army were to be assembled ; the right 
division, to be composed of a Virginia and a Penn- 
sylvania brigade, the general selected for his own 
personal command. The left, composed of the 
troops then at Defiance, and three Kentucky regi- 
ments, then at or near St. Mary's, was commanded 
by General Winchester ; and the centre corps, com- 
posed of a brigade of the Ohio quota of militia, as- 
sembled at Fort M'Arthur, was commanded by 
Brigadier Tupper, of Ohio. Each of these corps 
had a separate line of operation, terminating at the 
Rapids. " This," says Colonel Wood, " was an 
excellent plan ; for, by sending the corps by differ- 
ent routes, with a view of concentrating somewhere - 
in the neighbourhood of the enemy, the march of 
the army would not only be expedited, but the fron- 
tiers much more effectually protected." 

General Harrison caused a new fort to be erect- 
ed on the Au Glaise, near the old one, and another 
on the same river about twelve miles from St. 
Mary's ; while he instructed General Winchester 
to direct his attention for the present chiefly to the 
transportation of supplies to Defiance, for the main 
expedition against Detroit. 

We pass over a number of minor operations, 



WILLIAM IIENKY HARRISON. 195 

wliicli we have not room to detail. General Har- 
rison proceeded by Piqua to Urbana, and Irom the 
latter place to Franklinton, employing himself ac- 
tively in expediting the march of troops towards 
the frontier, and in forwarding artillery and sup- 
plies. The troops at different points were actively 
engaged ; those under Winchester completed Fort 
Winchester ; the regiment of Barbee at St. Mary's 
built Fort Barbee ; Poasjue's regiment erected Fort 
Amand on the Au Glaise ; and Colonel Jennings 
threw up a fortified work at his encampment. 

These regiments were also actively engaged in 
preparing boats and canoes, in escorting provisions 
and stores, and in other duties preparatory to the 
object of the campaign. 

The hardships borne by the troops, and the diffi- 
culties to be surmounted in carrying forward the 
views of the government, were of a character and 
magnitude, of which those who have not been en- 
gaged in similar scenes can have little conception. 
In the voluminous correspondence of General Har- 
rison with the government, these are forcibly point- 
ed out ; and we regret that our limits will not allow 
us to quote from those letters as extensively as we 
could wish.* In one of them, written on the 22d 
of October, he remarks, " I am not able to fix any 

* They may be found in Niles' Register, M'AfTee's His- 
tory, and Dawson's Life of Harrison. 



196 MEMOIR OF 

period for the advance of the troops to Detroit. It 
is pretty evident that it cannot be done on proper 
principles, until the frost shall become so severe as 
to enable us to use the rivers and the margin of 
the lake for the transportation of baggage on the 
ice. To get supplies forward through a swampy- 
wilderness of near two hundred miles, in wagons 
or on pack-horses, which are to carry their own 
provisions, is absolutely impossible. ^^ " No spe- 
cies of supplies are calculated on being found in the 
Michigan territory. The farms upon the River 
Raisin, which might have afforded a quantity of 
forage, are nearly all broken up and destroyed. 
This article, then, as well as the provisions for the 
men, is to be taken from this state — a circumstance 
which must at once put to rest every idea of a land 
conveyance at this season, since it would require 
at least two wagons with forage, for each one that 
is loaded with provisions and other articles." 

On the 15th of November he writes, " You can 
scarcely form an idea, sir, of the difficulty with 
which land transportation is effected north of the 
fortieth degree of latitude in this country. The 
country beyond that is almost a continued swamp 
to the lakes. Where the streams run favourably 
to your course, a small strip of better ground is 
generally found ; but in crossing from one river to 
another, the greater part of the way, at this season, 
is covered with water. Such is actually the situa- 



i 

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 197 

tion of that space between the Sandusky and tlic 
Miami Rapids ; and from tlic best information 1 
could acquire, while I was at Huron, the road over 
it must be causewayed at least half the way." 

The autumn of this year was thus passed in 
laborious preparations for active service — in col- 
lecting troops, in building forts, in creating depots, 
in cutting roads, in opening resources for supplies, 
and in organizing the various departments of the 
army. 

A few minor operations in the field only were 
attempted, for the purpose of driving back the par- 
ties of the enemy, or dislodging them from posts 
from which they could annoy our troops, or em- 
barrass the plans of the commander-in-chief. One 
under General Tupper was unsuccessful ; another 
under the same officer was, according to M'Affee, 
boldly attempted, and the object partially attained. 
The expedition sent by General Harrison to the 
Mississineway River, consisting of six hundred 
men, under Lieutenant Colonel Campbell, was 
handsomely conducted, and brilliantly successful. 
An Indian village, fortified, and well defended, was 
gallantly assailed, and taken after a spirited action 
of an hour. Eight of our men were killed, and 
forty-eight wounded — but a large number was ren- 
dered unfit for duty by fatigue, exposure to frost, 
and sickness. In the general order, issued on the 
return of the troops, the commander-in-chief com- 

17* 



% 

198 MEMOIR OF 

mends the firmness with which they endured the 
extraordinary hardships to which they were sub- 
jected, as well as their bravery and good conduct 
in battle. " But the character of this gallant de- 
tachment," continues General Harrison, " exhibit- 
ing, as it did, perseverance, fortitude, and bravery, 
would, however, be incomplete, if, in the midst of 
victory, they had forgotten the feelings of human- 
ity. It is with the sincerest pleasure that the gene- 
ral has heard, that the most punctual obedience 
was paid to his orders, in not only saving all the 
women and children, but in sparing all the war- 
riors who ceased to resist; and that even when 
vigorously attacked by the enemy, the claims of 
mercy prevailed over every sense of their own dan- 
ger, and this heroic band respected the lives of their 
prisoners. Let an account of murdered innocence 
be opened in the records of heaven, against our 
enemies alone. The 'American soldier will follow 
the example of his government ; and the sword of 
one will not be raised against the fallen and help- 
less, nor the gold of the other be paid for the scalps 
of a massacred enemy." These are noble senti- 
ments, finely expressed. 

Until late in the season. General Harrison con- 
tinued to indulge the hope, that he should be able 
to overcome the numerous obstacles which prevent- 
ed his moving in force against the enemy, and that 
he would eventually close the campaign by the cap- 



WILLIAM IIENKY HARRISON. 199 

ture of Maiden. Reserving his army for lliis grand 
object, he avoided all unnecessary exposure of the 
troops, abstained from sending out detachments 
whicli miglit have been cut off by lurking bodies 
of Indians, and by which, even if successful, the 
strength of the army would have been weakened, 
without commensurate advantage. 

In the mean while he urged upon the govern- 
ment the importance of creating a navy iipon the 
lakes. In one of his letters he remarks — "Admit- 
ting that Maiden and Detroit are both taken, Maci- 
naw and St. Joseph's will both remain in the hands 
of the enemy, until we can create a force capable 
of contending with the vessels which the British 
have in Lake Michigan, and which they will be 
enabled to maintain there as long as the canoe 
route by Grand River and Lake Nipissin shall 
remain, and for six months after." The sagacity 
of this suggestion was afterwards fully proved by 
the splendid achievement of Perry, and the import- 
ant results which followed from the acquisition of 
the naval ascendency upon the lakes. 

As the season advanced, and the difficulties which 
impeded the preparation of the army for active ope- 
rations increased, General Harrison was reluctantly 
compelled to abandon the idea of taking Maiden 
during this campaign, and to advise the government 
of the necessity of postponing a movement for that 
purpose, which could only be made at a sacrifice 



200 MEMOIR OF 

of life, and a risk of failure, which in his opinion 
would not be warrantable,, under any correct mili- 
tary principles. Mr. Monroe, then acting as Sec- 
retary of War, replied as follows : — 

"At this distance, and with an imperfect know- 
ledge of the actual state of things, it is impossible 
for the President to decide, satisfactorily to himself, 
or with advantage to the public, whether it is prac- 
ticable for you to accomplish the objects of the ex- 
pedition, in their full extent, during the present 
winter. No person can be so competent to that 
decision as yourself; and the President has great 
confidence in the solidity of the opinion which you 
may form. He wishes you to weigh maturely this 
important subject, and take that part which your 
judgment may dictate." 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 201 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Eccnts in Indiana and Illinois — Movements on the 
North-western frontier — Massacre at the River 
Raisin. 

On the 'Sd of September, a body of Kickapoo 
and Winnebago Indians assembled at Fort Harri- 
son on the Wabash, and endeavoured by treacher- 
ous pretences of friendship to gain admission. Cap- 
tain Zachary Taylor, who commanded, was not 
deceived by this stratagem ; but kept his garrison 
prepared to defend the post ; and on the 4th an as- 
sault was made. The enemy was repelled with 
gallantry. 

Exasperated by the failure of this attempt, a 
large war-party of savages broke into the settle- 
ments on the Pigeon Roost Fork of White River, 
where they massacred, under circumstances of the 
most shocking barbarity, twenty-one persons, in- 
cluding women and children. These Indians, it 
will be recollected, were regularly in the pay of the 
British government, as their allies. Such was the 
character of the war carried on ajiainst us, for the 
purpose of enforcing an alleged right to impress 
our seamen, and of rc^ducing us to a state of depend- 
ence, by a civilized and Christian people. 



202 MEMOIR OF 

An escort of provisions, of thirteen men, on its 
way to Fort Harrison, was also surprised, and 
literally cut to pieces. 

The Illinois and Missouri territories became the 
scenes of similar atrocities ; and Governor Edwards, 
of Illinois, made strong appeals to the government, 
and to the governors of the neighbouring states, for 
assistance. 

Colonel Russel, a veteran officer of the U. S. 
army, commanding in this region, hastened to 
cover the exposed points, by sending such volun- 
teers as could be raised to Fort Harrison, assisting 
the governor of Illinois in organizing the militia, 
and employing the rangers on the borders of Mis- 
souri. 

It is only necessary to glance at the map, to dis- 
cover the distance of these various points from each 
other, the total inadequateness of the means at the 
disposal of the officers whose duty it became to 
defend them, and the great responsibility imposed 
upon those gentlemen. Upon General Harrison, 
as the commander-in-chief, charged with the care 
of this widely-extended field of action, fell of course 
the chief weight, and upon him were the eyes of 
the country directed, for its defence; but other offi- 
cers acting at a distance from head quarters, were 
often obliged to use a liberal discretion in the direc- 
tion of their own talents, and the patriotism of their 
fellow-citizens. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 203 

Governor Shelby, whose zealous patriotism has 
rciideretl his name so conspicuous in tlie annals of 
this war, made an eloquent appeal to the people of 
Kentucky, settinj; forth the critical condition of the 
more exposed portions of the frontier, and calling 
for the aid of volunteer soldiers. Such was the 
alacrity with which this summons was obeyed, 
that 2000 mounted men were immediately assem- 
bled at Louisville, and other points on the Ohio — 
while so great was the excess of numbers, that 
many others were turned back. One old veteran, 
belonging to a company whose services were not 
accepted, after venting his disappointment, was 
heard to remark, " Well, well, Kentucky has often 
glutted the market with hemp, flour, and tobacco ; 
and now she has done it with volunteers." 

These troops were, by General Harrison's ap- 
pointment, assembled at Vincennes, about the 1st 
of October, where the army was organized, and 
the command assumed by General Samuel Hop- 
kins, of the Kentucky militia. The Wabash was 
crossed, and a march attempted over the boundless 
plains of Illinois, towards the Kickapoo villages 
on the Illinois river. Deceived by the guides, 
however, several days were spent in wandering in 
difierent directions, without advancing far towards 
the point of destination. Provisions became scarce, 
and both horses and men were sinkinc under fa- 
tiguc. Under these circumstances, it was deter- 



204 MEMOIR OF 

mined to return. The expedition was considered 
to have failed in its principal object ; and mortified 
pride induced the men to cast severe reflections 
upon their leader. But a court of inquiry, after- 
wards held, at the request of General Hopkins, de- 
cided that his conduct merited the applause, rather 
than the censure, of his country. Perhaps all that 
could have been expected from an army thus has- 
tily raised, and wholly unfurnished with provisions 
and munitions, was accomplished — the frontier was 
covered at that point, for the moment, the depre- 
dators were induced to withdraw, and the inhabit- 
ants relieved from their present panic. 

After dismissing the mounted men. General Hop- 
kins led a body of infantry from .Fort Harrison 
against the Indians on the Wabash. The march 
was commenced on the 11th of November, and 
conducted with great caution. On the 19th they 
arrived at the Prophet's Town, which was destroy- 
ed — as were a Winnebago village, a few miles- 
lower down, and a Kickapoo village, on the western 
side of the river. The operations were continued 
until the 24th, when the " shoeless, shirtless condi- 
tion of the troops, now clad in remnants of their 
summer clothes ; a river full of ice ; hills covered 
with snow ; a rigid climate, and no certain point 
against which he could further direct his opera- 
tions," induced the general to return to Vincennes. 

A successful enterprise was in the mean while 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 205 

conducted n<j;ainst tlie Kickapoos by Governor YliU 
wards and Colonel Russell. Their principal vil- 
lage, at the head of Peoria Lake, was surprised, a 
large number of warriors killed, their corn de- 
stroyed, and about eighty horses captured. 

Returning now to the events occurrino- in the 
vicinity of head quarters, we propose to conclude 
our brief sketch of this campaign, by narratinf^ the 
melancholy catastrophe at the River Raisin. 

According to the plan of the campaign, and the 
instructions of the commanding general, it was ex- 
pected by him, that on his arrival at Upper San- 
dusky, about the 18th of December, he should be 
advised of the advance of Winchester to the Rap- 
ids. Not receiving this information, he forwarded, 
by Ensign Todd, of Kentucky — who performed 
the dangerous duty with signal dispatch and skill — 
a reiterated order, instructing General Winchester, 
that as soon as he had accumulated provisions for 
twenty days, he was authorized to advance to the 
Rapids, where he was to commence the building 
of huts, to induce the enemy to believe that he was 
going into winter quarters — that he was to construct 
sleds for the main expedition against Maiden, but 
to impress it on the minds of his men that they 
were for transporting provisions from the interior — 
that the diflerent lines of the army would be con- 
centrated at that place, and a choice detachment 
from the whole would then be marched rapidly on 

IS 



206 MEMOIR OF 

Maiden — thai in the mean while he was to occupy 
the Rapids, for the purpose of securing the provi- 
sions and stores forwarded from the other wings 
of the army. 

The left wing having in the mean while received, 
on the 22d of December, a moderate supply of 
provisions, General Winchester was preparing to 
march ; and on the 30th of the same month, that 
wing moved for the Rapids. To apprise General 
Harrison of this movement, Mr. Leslie Combs, a 
gallant young gentleman of the Kentucky volun- 
teers, was sent with a dispatch, which he carried 
through the wilderness, on foot, accompanied by a 
single guide, a distance of more than a hundred 
miles, to the point of destination. Owing to the 
perils and difficulties of the way, this dispatch was 
delayed five days longer than had been anticipated ; 
and in the mean while General Winchester received 
a communication from the commander-in-chief, re- 
commending to him to abandon the movement upon 
the Rapids, and fall back with the greater part of 
his force to Fort Jennings. General Harrison had 
learned that Tecumthe had collected a large force 
on the head waters of the Wabash ; and he gave 
this advice to Winchester, under the apprehension 
that the advance of the left wing would afford to 
this enterprising chief an opportunity to attack and 
destroy the provisions left on its line of operations 
in the rear. But Winchester having commenced 



WILLIAM TIENRY HARRISON. 207 

his march, did not conceive himself bound by this 
instruction to change his plan. 

On the 10th of January, the left wing reached 
the llapids, and Winchester established his camp 
on the nofth bank of the river, at a good position, 
which he fortified. 

From the l3th to the 16th, several messengers 
successively arrived from the River Raisin, with 
intelligence from the settlement there, that a great 
panic prevailed, in consequence of an expected in- 
cursion of the Indians, and with urgent entreaties 
to General Winchester for protection. These solici- 
tations were seconded by an ardent desire on the 
part of the troops to advance ; and at a council of 
officers called by the general, a majority decided 
upon sending forward a strong detachment. On 
the 17th, Colonel Lewis was detached with 550 
men to the River Raisin, and at a later hour of the 
same day, Colonel Allen followed with 110 men. 
A dispatch was prepared for General Harrison, by 
Winchester, announcing these proceedings ; but be- 
fore it was sent, information was received from 
Colonel Lewis, at Presque Isle, twenty miles in 
advance, that 400 Indians were at the River Rai- 
sin, and that Colonel Elliot was expected from 
Maiden, with a detachment designed to attack the 
camp at the Rapids. This intelligence was added 
to the letter. 

Lewis, intending to anticipate Elliot, pushed 



208 MEMOIR OF 

forward for Frenchtown, a village midway between 
Presque Isle and Maiden, and distant from each 
eighteen miles. After a laborious march the de- 
tachment reached the vicinity of Frenchtown, and 
found the enemy prepared to receive them. It was 
gallantly determined to attack them ; and after a 
short halt, the troops were formed for action. The 
right, commanded by Allen, was composed of the 
companies of M'Cracken, Bledsoe, and Matson; 
the left, under Major Graves, was composed of 
the companies of Hamilton, Williams, and Kelly ; 
the centre, under Major Madison, consisted of the 
companies of Hightower, Collier, and Sebree ; and 
the advanced guard, led by Captain Ballard, in- 
cluded the companies of Hickman, Glaves, and 
James. 

They advanced in three lines, and found the 
enemy posted among the houses in the village. 
Graves and Madison were ordered to dislodge them, 
which they gallantly did, — advancing with their 
battalions under a galling fire. The routed enemy, 
attempting to retreat, were met by Allen at some 
distance on the right, and driven to the woods. 
Here they made a stand, covered by some houses, 
fences, and brushwood ; but our brave troops con- 
tinued to advance, and, after a hot engagement, 
again forced them to retire. Thus they were driven 
for two miles, under an unremitted succession of 
charges made by this intrepid band of Kentuckians, 



I 

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 209 

who had marched on that day eighteen miles 
through the frost and over ice, and were so much 
exhausted, that nothing but the dauntless spirit of 
a noble zoal could liavc sustained them. The action 
commenced at 3 o'clock, and the pursuit was con- 
tinued until dark. The victory was decisive — and 
as General Harrison handsomely remarked after- 
wards, " the troops amply supported the double 
character of Americans and Kentuckians." Our 
loss was twelve killed and fifty-fivc wounded, that 
of the enemy much greater. They were command- 
ed by Major Reynolds, of the British army, who 
had under him about 100 British regulars, and 400 
Indians. 

It is to be greatly regretted, that after so signal 
a triumph, this fine detachment had not retired, or 
that General Harrison had not been apprised of 
these movements in time to support them. 

Lewis determined to maintain his position at 
Frenchtown ; and Winchester, on receiving intelli- 
gence of the victory, approved the decision of 
Lewis, hastened to support him with all his troops, 
and on the 21st established his head quarters at 
Frenchtown, which he determined to fortify the 
next day. Colonel Wells was sent to the Rapids, 
where he met General Harrison, who had arrived 
there the day before, and was making every effort 
to hasten forward the reinforcements. 

The advices sent by Winchester to Harrison liad 

18* 



210 MEMOIR OF 

all been delayed by accidents incident to the wil- 
derness and the season ; and he was now endea- 
vouring to suppQrt movements which he could not 
have foreseen, and of which he was recently and 
unexpectedly apprised. This, with his feeble and 
scattered means, in the depth of a northern winter, 
and in the impracticable state of that wilderness 
region, was a hopeless undertaking ; but unpromis- 
ing as it was, it was attempted with zeal and ear- 
nestness ; and on the 20th he dispatched Captain 
Hart with instructions to Winchester, to maintain 
the position at the River Raisin. 

No sooner had the British at Maiden heard of the 
advance of the Americans upon Frenchtown, than 
the decision to attack them there was made and 
promptly executed. The assault was commenced 
on the morning of the 22d, by the opening of a 
heavy battery at the distance of three hundred 
yards from our lines, discharging bombs, balls, 
and grape-shot. The enemy had approached in 
the night in profound silence. Our troops were 
outnumbered, and a part only were protected by 
temporary breastworks. The assailants rushed , 
forward to the charge, with the bayonet and the 
tomahawk, amid the loud yells of the savage. 
From the camp of Lewis, which was surrounded 
with pickets, they were repulsed ; but the reinforce- 
ment which had arrived under Winchester, and 
was unprotected by any work, was overpowered, 



WILLIAM Iir.NUY HAKIM-^CIN. 211 

ni)(l forced to "ivc back. General Winchester 
hastened to the scene of action, and endeavoured 
inenectually to rally the broken lines. But the 
l>ritisii pressed upon the disordered troops, the In- 
dians chained their rij^ht flank, and the men began 
to retreat in confusion across the river. Lewis and 
Allen gallantly endeavoured to regain the ground 
that had been lost, but in vain ; the Indians had 
now gained the other flank, and were in possession 
of the woods in the rear. Confusion increased ; a 
large party of our troops which had reached the 
woods were surrounded, and massacred without 
distinction and without mercy. Nearly one hun- 
dred were tomahawked at one spot. Every fucri- 
tive was slaughtered. The brave Allen, after he'm^r 
badly wounded, and retreating two miles, surren- 
dered to an Indian ; another savage assailed him, 
and Allen, with a blow of his sword, struck the 
assassin dead, and was himself shot down by a 
third Indian. 

Lieutenant Garrett having surrendered himself, 
with a party of fifteen or twenty men, all but him- 
self were instantly butchered. Another party, of 
-•thirty men, had retreated three miles, when they 
were surrounded and compelled to surrender; half 
of them were murdered. Winchester and Lewis 
were taken, and their coats stripped off; in this con- 
dition they were taken to Colonel Proctor's head 
quarters. 



212 MEMOIR OF 

The troops within the picketing, under Graves 
and Madison, still maintained that position with Spar- 
tan valour. Major Graves, when severely wound- 
ed, sat down, exclaiming, " Never mind me — fight 
on." Proctor, at length, wearied with the ineffec- 
tual sacrifice of his men, withdrew his mercenary 
troops and savage allies from the vain attempt to 
dislodge this little band of heroes. 

But Proctor at length procured, by an act of in- 
describable baseness, that which he could not effect 
by valour. He represented to General Winchester, 
his captive, that unless the remainder of our troops 
should surrender, the whole of the prisoners would 
be given up to the tomahawk. Shocked as the 
general must have been by so brutal a violation of 
the laws of war, he had seen enough to satisfy him 
that he was in the power of a monster, who only 
required an apology to steep his hands still more 
deeply in blood. A flag was sent by him, there- 
fore, with an order to Major Madison to surrender, 
borne by Major Overton, the aid of Winchester, 
and accompanied by Proctor. The latter insolently 
demanded an immediate surrender — threatening, in 
case of refusal, to deliver over the whole garrison * 
to the vengeance of the Indians. Major Madison 
observed, " That it had been customary for the In- 
dians to massacre the wounded and prisoners, and 
that he would not agree to any capitulation which 
General Winchester might direct, unless the safety 



J 



WILLIAM MK.NKV IIAKHISON. 213 

and protection of his men were slipulaled." Colo- 
nrl Proctor said, " Sir, do you mean to dictate to 
me ?" " No," replied the brave Madison, " I intend 
to dictate for myself, and we prefer selling our lives 
as dearly as possible, rather than be massacred in 
cold blood." Proctor then received the surrender, 
on the conditions that private property should be 
respected, that the prisoners should be protected by 
a guard, the sick and wounded removed on sleds, 
and the officers allowed to retain their side-arms. 

We forbear to shock our readers by recounting 
in detail the atrocities that ensued, and which have 
covered the name of Proctor with eternal infamy. 
T\\G prisoners thus taken were given over to the 
Indians to be slain in cold blood. A few were 
saved by the interposition of some of the officers. 
Graves, Hart, Hickman, and other gallant officers, 
with their brave companions, were coldly delivered 
up, by British officers, to the infuriated Indians, and 
butchered in their presence. Some of their bodies 
were thrown into the flames of the burning village, 
and others, shockingly mangled, left exposed in 
the streets. Major Woolfolk, the secretary of 
Winchester, was shot some days after his capture, 
and Major Graves murdered at some later period, 
which has never been ascertained. For several 
days this horrid tragedy continued to be acted ; 
and every prisoner who became exhausted in the 



214 MEMOIR OF 

march towards Maiden, was handed over to the 
savage. 

The historian M'Affee indignantly remarks, " For 
the massacre at the River Raisin, for which any 
other civiHzed government would have dismissed, 
and perhaps have gibbeted the commander, Colo- 
nel Proctor received the rank of major general in 
the British army!" So far from disgracing the 
perpetrator of such atrocities, he was rewarded; 
and the commander of the forces in Upper Canada, 
in a general order distinguished for its falsehood 
and malignity, boasted of this " brilliant action, 
and of the '" gallantry" of Proctor, which he de- 
clares to have been " nobly displayed !" 

Pursuing the account of M'Affee, we quote the 
following paragraphs : — 

" A disaster so calamitous would necessarily ex- 
cite much discussion with respect to its causes ; and 
as much blame was thrown upon those who com- 
mitted no error, and who were not instrumental in 
causing the defeat of Winchester, which proved to 
be the defeat of the campaign, it may not be amiss 
to vindicate, in a cursory manner, the conduct of 
those on whom public opinion, or the censure of 
their enemies, was unjustly severe. General Har- 
rison was blamed by his enemies for the advance 
of the detachment to the River Raisin ; for not rein- 
forcing it in time ; or, finding that impracticable, 



n ) 



WILLIAM IIEMIY HARRISON- 215 

for not ordering a retreat ; besides many other 
matters of less importance. 

" It is evident from the statement of facts alrea- 
dy made, that CJeneral Harrison is not answerable 
f«>r the advance of the detachment. It was sent by 
(leneral Winchester, without the knowledge or 
consent of Harrison, and contrary to his views and 
plans for the future conduct of the campaign, and 
to the instructions communicated with his plans 
through Ensign Todd, before the left wing had 
marched for the Rapids. If the advance was im- 
proper, the blame does not lie upon Harrison ; if it 
was proper. General Winchester is entitled to the 
credit of having ordered it. The following extract 
; from the journal of Colonel Wood, shows the im- 
pression made at head quarters by the first intelli- 
gence of the advance received at that place. 

" ' This news for a moment paralyzed the army, 
' or at least the thinking part of it, for no one could 
t imagine that it was possible for him to be o-uilty of 
I such a hazardous step. General Harrison was 
t astonished at the imprudence and inconsistency of 
I such a measure, which if carried into execution, 
i could be viewed in no other light than as attended 
I with certain and inevitable destruction to the left 
I wing. Nor was it a difficult matter to foresee and 
i predict the terrible consequences which were sure to 
mark the result nf a scheme, no less rash in its 
conception, than hazardous in its execution.' " 



216 MEMOIR OF 

" With respect to reinforcing the detachment," 
continues M'Affee, " a recurrence to facts equally 
proves that Harrison is not blameable, as he made 
every exertion in his power to support it. It was 
not until the night of the 16th that he received in- 
formation indirectly through General Perkins, that 
Winchester had arrived at the Rapids. By the 
same express he was advised that Winchester medi- 
tated some unknown movement against the enemy. 
Alarmed at this information, he immediately made 
every exertion which the situation of his affairs 
required. He was then at Upper Sandusky, his 
principal deposit of provisions and munitions of 
war, which is sixty miles from the Rapids by the 
way of Portage river, and seventy-six by the way 
of Lower Sandusky ; and about thirty-eight more 
from the River Raisin. He immediately sent an 
express to the Rapids, for information ; gave orders 
for a corps of 300 men to advance with the artil- 
lery, and escorts to proceed with provisions ; and 
in the morning he proceeded himself to Lower 
Sandusky, at which place he arrived in the night 
following, a distance of forty miles, which he trav- 
elled in seven hours and a half, over roads requir- 
ing such exertion, that the horse of his aid, Major 
Hakill, fell dead on their arrival at the fort. He 
found there, that General Perkins had prepared to 
.send a battalion to the Rapids, in conformity with r 
a request from General Winchester. That battalion r 



WILLIAM HEMIV HAUKISON. 217 

was dispatched the next morning, the 18th, with a 
piece of artillery ; but tlic roads were so bad, tliat 
it was unable, by its utmost exertions, to reach the 
liiver Kaisin, a distance of seventy-five miles, be- 
fore the fatal disaster. 

"General Harrison then determined to proceed 
to the Ka|)ids himself, to learn personally from 
General ^Vinchester his situation and views. At 
four o'clock on the morning of the 19th, while ho 
still remained at Lower Sandusky, he received the 
information, that Colonel Lewis had been sent with 
a detachment, to secure the provisions on the River 
Raisin, and to occupy, with the intention of hold- 
ing, the village of Frcnchtown. There was then 
but one regiment and a battalion at Lower Sandus- 
ky, and the regiment was immediately put in mo- 
tion, with orders to make forced marches for the 
Rapids ; and General Harrison himself immedi- 
ately proceeded to the same place. On his way he 
met an express with intelligence of the successful 
battle, which had been fought on the preceding day. 
The anxiety of General Harrison to push forward, 
and either prevent or remedy any misfortune which 
might occur, as soon as he was apprized of the ad- 
vance to the River Raisin, was manifested by the 
great personal exertions which he made in this 
instance. He started in a sleigh with General 
Perkins, to overtake the battalion under Cotgrove, 
attended by a single servant. As the sleigh went 

19 



218 MEMOIR OF 

very slow, from the roughness of the road, he took 
the horse of his servant, and pushed on alone. 
Night came upon him in the midst of the swamp, 
which was so imperfectly frozen that the horse 
sunk to his belly at every step. He had no resource 
but to dismount and lead his horse, jumping him- 
self from one sod to another which was solid 
enough to support him. When almost exhausted, 
he met one of Cotgrove's men coming back to look 
for his bayonet, which he said he had left at a 
place where he stopped, and for which he would 
have a dollar stopped from his pay, unless he reco- 
vered it. The general told him he would not only 
pardon him for the loss, but supply him with an- 
other, if he would assist him to get his horse through 
the swamp. By his aid, the general was enabled 
to reach the camp of the battalion. 

" Very early on the morning of the 20th he ar- 
rived at the Rapids, from which place General 
Winchester had gone, on the preceding evening, 
with all his disposable force, to the River Raisin. 
Nothing more could now be done, but wait the 
arrival of the reinforcements from Lower San- 
dusky." J 

" Instead of censure being due to Harrison, he 
merits praise for his prudent exertions, from the 
moment he was apprized of Winchester's arrival 
at the Rapids." 

" What human means," says Colonel M^ood, 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 219 

" within the control of Harrison, could prevent the 
anticipated disaster, and save that corps which was 
already looked upon as lost, as doomed lo inevi- 
table destruction'? Certainly none." He adds, 
*' What could a Turcnne or an Eugene have done, 
under such a pressure of embarrassing circum- 
stances, more than Harrison did." 

When the intelligence of the disaster at the River 
Raisin reached the head quarters of the army, at 
the Rapids, General Harrison called a council of 
war, who, acting on the best information then 
attainable, came to the opinion, that the position at 
the Rapids would probably be attacked. Such an 
event was to be avoided, as the position was untena- 
ble, and the force of the enemy supposed to be 
much greater than our own. On the next morn- 
ing, therefore, the army abandoned the Rapids, and 
retired to the Portage, 18 miles distant, where the 
general established, and strongly fortified his camp, 
to await an expected reinforcement under General 
Leflwich, on the arrival of which, it was his inten- 
tion to return to the Rapids. A series of rainy 
weather, which rendered the roads impassable, de- 
layed the arrival of General Leftwich until the 30th 
of January ; and on the following day, the army, 
now amounting to 1700 men, marched to the foot 
of the Rapids, and a good position was selected, on 
the opposite side of the river from that formerly 
occupied. 



220 MEMOIR OF 

Expecting to be able still to lead the contemplated 
expedition against Maiden during the season, the 
general continued to exert himself unremittingly 
in making preparations. All the troops in the rear 
were ordered to join him immediately ; except a 
few companies which were left on the Au Glaise 
and St. Mary's. The Ohio and Kentucky troops 
soon after arrived, which rendered the advance 
2000 strong; but it was now ascertained, that the 
different corps were so far reduced from their origi- 
nal and nominal strength, that the whole effective 
force would not eventually exceed 4000 men. The 
weather remained unfavourable, and the arrival of 
the troops in the rear continued to be delayed until 
General Harrison was at length constrained, with 
much reluctance and mortification, to abandon all 
thoughts of advancing this season against Maiden. 

The general now turned his attention to the 
security of his troops for the present winter, and 
the making arrangements for an active campaign 
in the ensuing year. His camp was strongly for- 
tified, under the direction of Colonel (then Captain) 
Wood, an engineer of great talent, who afterwards 
distinguished himself highly, and fell with honour. 
An area of 2500 yards in circumference was in- 
closed with strong pickets, composed of timbers 
fifteen feet in length, and ten or twelve inches in 
diameter, set three feet deep in the ground. " To 
complete this picketing," says Wood, in his account, 



I 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKUISON. 221 

*' to put up eight block- houses of double timber, to 
elevate four large batteries, to build all the store- 
houses and magazines required to contain the sup- 
plies of the army, together with the ordinary fa- 
ticrues of the camp, was an undertaking of no small 
magnitude. Besides, an immense deal of labour 
was likewise required in excavating ditches, making 
abbatis, and clearing away the wood about the 
camp ; and all this was to be done too at a time 
when the weather was inclement, and the ground 
so hard frozen that it could scarcely be opened 
with a mattock or pick-axe." The position thus 
fortified was called Camp Meigs, in honour of the 
patriotic governor of Ohio. 

19* 



222 MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER XV. 

Opening of the second campaign — Siege of Fort 
Meigs — Brilliant sortie — Defeat of Colonel 
Dudley. 

The small garrison of Fort Meigs spent a dreary 
and toilsome winter at that post. A variety of 
minor incidents occurred to test their patience and 
courage ; but the garrison maintained itself under 
a variety of privations, of threatened assaults, and 
of adverse circumstances. 

General Harrison returned to Cincinnati, to visit 
his family, and to make arrangements for a vigor- 
ous opening of the ensuing campaign, by procuring 
reinforcements of men, and supplies of money, pro- 
visions, and military stores. Ever indefatigable in 
his exertions, he continued to maintain a volumi- 
nous correspondence with the cabinet at Washing- 
ton, and the governors of the states from which 
militia were expected to be drawn, and to sustain, 
by animated appeals to their patriotism, the confi- 
dence of the people. Again we look back, as at a 
former period, with emotions of surprise at the 
gloomy aspect of affairs on all our frontiers. Thus 
far the war had been prosecuted with little energy, 
and less success. A few individuals had been 



WILLIAM IIENKY IIAUKISON. 223 

prodigal of thoir lives, their talents, and their 
labours, in high commands ; and many men had 
gone bravely to the field. Some brilliant exploits 
had been achieved ; but these partial successes had 
been more than balanced by a series of disasters. 
The want of system and organization, of supplies, 
and of all the sinews of war, except brave men and 
gallant leaders, liad created distraction in the coun- 
cils of the nation, ahd despondency in the public 
mind. Had it not been for the personal influence, 
energy, and talent, of such commanders as Harri- 
son, Jackson, Brown, Scott, and Perry, and such 
men as Meigs, Shelby, and other patriotic gover- 
nors, it is difficult to imagine how the honour of 
the country could have been rescued from indelible 
disgrace ; nor will the nation fully appreciate the 
weight of gratitude due to those individuals, and to 
Monroe, Clay, Cheves, Calhoun, and other patriots, 
who intrepidly sustained the administration at this 
crisis, until the history of those times shall be fully 
and calmly written, and the services of those great 
men carefully examined and explained. 

Intelligence having been received of an intention 
on the part of the enemy to ipvest Camp Meigs, 
General Harrison hastened back to the frontier. 
His plan was formed, to relieve Camp Meigs, 
should he find it besieged, by storming the batteries 
of the enemy, in the same manner which he after- 
wards adopted, and caused to be practised by the 



224 MEMOIR OF 

troops under Dudley. With this view, he wrote 
for reinforcements to the governor of Kentucky 
and endeavoured to raise hastily a strong force. 
But on reaching Camp Meigs, on the 12th of April, 
he found that position not yet invested. The enemy, 
however, were daily expected; and the most vigor- 
ous exertions were made to prepare for a siege. 
On the 19th, intelligence was brought that the 
British were making active preparations, were as- 
sembling an immense Indian force, and that Te- 
cumthe and the prophet had joined them with 600 
warriors. 

General Green Clay, with 3000 men from Ken- 
tucky, under Colonels Boswell, Dudley, Caldwell, 
and Cox, was daily expected ; but the deepness of 
the roads, and the difficulty of crossing streams 
swelled by the spring floods, delayed his march. 
The companies, however, which had been dis- 
patched in advance by Harrison, and were less en- 
cumbered with baggage, reached the Rapids before 
the arrival of the enemy. The troops under Clay 
reached Defiance on the 3d of May, where they 
were met by the news of the investment of Camp 
Meigs, by the allied British and Indian forces. 

On the 28th of April, a reconnoitring party from 
Camp Meigs discovered the approach of the enemy 
in full force. General Harrison instantly dispatched 
letters to General Clay, and to the governors of 
Ohio and Kentucky. The perilous duty of bearing 



I 



f' 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 225 

these dispatches, was undertaken and handsomely 
performed by Captain Oliver,* a brave and intclli- 
c^cnt olHcer, who, accompanied by a single white 
man and an Indian, successfully surmounted the 
danijjcrs that beset his path through the wilderness. 

The troops were paraded ; General Harrison ad- 
dressed them with his usual eloquence, and loud 
bursts of applause showed that he had kindled up 
their military pride and love of country. Presently 
the enemy appeared, ascending the river in boats, 
and approaching the site of the old Fort Miami, on 
the opposite side of the rivCr from Camp Meigs. 
Here they landed the artillery, and began to con- 
struct batteries, while the Indians debarked on the 
south-eastern shore, and surrounded our camp. 

The position occupied by the American army 
was within a short distance of the field on which 
Wayne had conquered the Indians in his great bat- 
tle. Alluding to this circumstance. General Har- 
rison used the following language, in a general 
order issued on the next morning after the arrival 
of the enemy : — 

" Can the citizens of a free country, who have 
taken up arms to defend its rights, think of submit- 
ting to an army composed of mercenary soldiers, 
reluctant Canadians goaded to the field by the 
bavonet, and of wretched, naked savages? Can 
the breast of an American soldier, when he casts 

* Major William Oliver, of Cincinnati. 



226 MEMOIK OF 

his eyes to the opposite shore, the scene of his 
country's triumphs over the same foe, be influenced 
by any other feelings than the hope of glory? Is 
not this army composed of the same materials with 
that which fought and conquered under the immor- 
tal Wayne? Yes, fellow-soldiers, your general 
sees your countenances beam with the same fire 
that he witnessed on that occasion ; and although it 
would be the height of presumption to compare 
himself to that hero, he boasts of being that hero's 
pupil. To your posts then, fellow-citizens, and 
remember that the eyes of your country are upon 
you." 

The British camp was established about two miles 
down the river; and in the night after their landing, 
they commenced three batteries opposite the fort, 
on a high bank three hundred yards from the river; 
the intervening ground was open, and partly covered 
with water. They proceeded with these . so far in 
the night, as to be able to work at them in daylight. 
Works to counteract those of the enemy were com- 
menced with spirit on our side. The whole army, 
except the requisite guards, was placed on fatigue, 
and the works pushed forward under the active 
management of Wood and Gratiot, the engineers. 

On the 30th of April the breastworks of the 
enemy were completed, and the guns ready to be 
mounted. Troops and Indians were crossed to the 
south-eastern side ; and as this demonstration led 



WILLIAM HEAKY IIARIilSO.\. 227 

the general to suspect, that while his attention 
should be directed to the opening of the batteries, 
his works were to be stormed from the opposite 
direction, the men were ordered to rest on their 
arms, prepared to take post at a moment's warning. 
The morning of the 1st of May disclosed the 
British batteries completed, and the artillerists at 
their posts, loading and training the guns, as if 
ready to open their fire upon our camp. An im- 
posing movement now took place. While the 
enemy were busily engaged in erecting batteries, a 
grand traverse had been constructed, twelve feet 
high, upon a base of twenty feet, three hundred 
yards long, running entirely across our camp. 
Orders were now given for all the tents in front 
of this work to be removed to its rear. At a word 
they were struck, and in a few minutes disap- 
peared ; and the prospect of cannonading the unco- 
vered tents, which a few minutes before had excited 
the skill of the British engineer, vanished. In their 
place, nothing was to be seen but a long breast- 
work of earth, behind which the whole army was 
securely encamped. Not a tent, nor an individual, 
was visible from the British lines. The canvas 
shelters which had concealed the construction of 
the traverse, were now in turn concealed by it. 
The enemy's batteries however were opened, and 
for five days a continued shower of balls was 
poured against our defences, with little effect. A 



228 MEMOIR OF 

few were killed and wounded. Among the latter 
was Major Amos Stoddart, of the artillery, a meri- 
torious officer, who had served in the revohition, 
and is well known as the author of a valuable 
work entitled " Sketches of Louisiana." He was 
slightly hurt, and died a few days after, of lockjaw. 

On our side a vigorous fire was kept up from the 
batteries, while the troops were constantly employed 
in streno-theninor the defences. » 

It will be recollected that General Cjay, with his 
command, was still on the way. This circumstance 
was adroitly turned to advantage by General Har- 
rison, and a plan devised, which evinced the most 
admirable generalship, in adapting his means to his 
situation. 

Captain Oliver met General Clay at Fort Win- 
chester, at which place the cannonading at the siege 
was distinctly heard. On the 4th of May he was 
ready to advance ; when Major David Trimble, of 
Kentucky, volunteered to accompany Captain Oli- 
ver on his return to Fort Meiu;s, in a boat with 
fifteen men, to apprize General Harrison of the ap- 
proach of the reinforcement. This was a hazard- 
ous attempt; Captain Combs had lately endeavoured, 
by order of Colonel Dudley, to penetrate the besieg- 
ing lines, but was attacked by Indians when near 
the fort, and driven back, after a brave contest, in 
which he lost nearly all his men. Oliver was 
more successful ; and at midnight General Harri- 



WILLIAM llENKY IIAUUISON. 229 

son was iiitbrnied, that General Clay would reach 
his camp at the dawn of the ensuing morning. 
Harrison immcdftitely determined to make a sortie 
upon the enemy ; and dispatched Captain Hamilton 
to Clay, with the necessary orders, which ^vere de- 
livered, five miles from Camp Meigs, at daylight. 
General Clay was directed to land about 800 men 
at a point to be shown by Captain Hamilton, a mile 
and a half above Camp Meigs. Hamilton was to 
conduct the detachment to the British batteries on 
the left bank of the river. These were to be taken, 
the cannon spiked, and the carriages cut down ; 
the troops were then to return to the boats, and 
cross to the fort. The remainder of the troops 
were to land on the other bank, and cut their way 
through the Indians into the fort, conducted by a 
subaltern sent for that purpose. 

General Harrison intended, while this operation 
was going forward, to send out a party to destroy 
the batteries on the south side of the river, which 
had been erected subsequently to the establishment 
of those on the other side. 

Colonel Dudley proceeded to lead the detach- 
ment against the enemy's batteries, while General 
Clay followed with the remainder of his men. In 
attempting to land, the boats of Clay became sepa- 
rated by the swiftness of the current, and were 
landed at different points. Captain Peter Dudley, 
with fifty men, marched into camp without loss, 

20 



230 MEMOIR OF 

under a heavy fire of the enemy. Colonel Boswell, 
with the rear boats, deceived by a movement of 
those in advance, was about to land on the wrong 
shore, when he was instructed to cross over, and 
fight his way into camp. The Indians annoyed 
his landing, but he formed, and returned their fire. 
General Harrison perceived his situation, and sent 
out a detachment under Major Alexander, in which 
the Pittsburgh Blues and the Petersburgh volunteers 
were included — a battalion under Major Johnson, — 
and the companies of Nearing and Dudley, to relieve 
him, and enable him to beat the enemy. The Ken- 
tuckians had fought their way to the gates of the 
fort, when these troops joined them. They now 
formed, Boswell on the right, Alexander on the 
left, and Johnson in the centre, and charged the 
Indians, who, though much superior in numbers, 
were driven for half a mile at the point of the 
bayonet. Such was the spirit of ihese brave troops, 
that their officers with difficulty restrained their 
ardour. General Harrison, who stood on a battery 
watching their operations, discovered a body of 
British and Indians filing along the edge of the 
woods, to gain the left flank and rear of Boswell. 
He immediately sent his volunteer aid, J. T. John- 
son, Esq., to recall the detachment ; but the horse 
of this gentleman was shot under him before he 
could deliver the order, which was then carried by 



WILLIAM IIENRV ItAKUISON. 231 

Major Graham. Tlie troops reluctantly obeyed, 
and reached the camp in good order. 

" General Harrison," says M'AfTee, " now or- 
dered a sortie from the fort, under the command 
of Colonel John ^Miller of the regulars, against the 
batteries which had been erected on that side. This 
detachment was composed of the companies and 
parts of companies, commanded by Captains Lang- 
ham, Croghan, Bradford, Nearing, Elliot, and Lieu- 
tenants Gwynne and Campbell of the regulars; the 
volunteers of Alexander's battalion, and Captain 
Sebree's company of Kentucky militia. The whole 
amounted only to 350 men. Colonel Miller, ac- 
companied by Major Todd, led on his command 
with the most determined bravery, charged upon 
the British, and drove them from their batteries — 
spiked their cannon, and took forty-one prisoners, 
including an officer, having completely beaten and 
driven back the whole force of the enemy. That 
force consisted of 200 British regulars, 150 Cana- 
dians, and 500 Indians, being considerably more 
than double the force of the brave detachment that 
attacked them ; but our troops charged with such 
irresistible impetuosity that nothing could withstand 
them." 

Sebree's company was particularly distinguished ; 
1 1 and at one time plunged with such fearless ardour 
' into the enemy's ranks, as to be entirely surround- 
ed. Bravely contendinir ajjainst four times their 



232 MEMOIR OF 

numbers, they maintained their ground for some 
time, but must ultimately have been cut to pieces, 
had not Lieutenant* Gwynne, of the 19th, gallantly 
charged through the enemy to their relief. Miller 
accomplished the whole object of the sortie, and re- 
tired triumphantly into the fort. 

In no instance during the war was there harder 
fio;hting than in this brilliant sortie. It lasted but 
forty-five minutes, during which 180 men were 
killed and wounded on our side. 

In the mean while, Dudley had effected a land- 
ing on the opposite side of the river, and marched 
rapidly towards the enemy's batteries. The dis- 
tance was two miles from the point of debarkation ; 
but so successful was the movement, that the ene- 
my was completely surprised, the batteries were 
charged " at full speed," and carried without the loss 
of a man ; the British flag was pulled down, and 
the shouts of the garrison announced their joy at 
the victory. 

Unhappily these gallant citizens were not suffi- 
ciently practised in the new profession which their 
patriotism had induced them to assume, to be able 
to appreciate the full value of the service they had 
so nobly performed, or the danger of the position 
in which they stood. Having effected their purpose, 

their orders and their duty required them to retreat , 

j 

* Now Major Gwynne, of Cincinnati. 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKKISON. 2Xi 

but they loitered in the batteries with the most per- 
fect indirterence to any approaching peril. Gene- 
ral Harrison made them signals to retire — but they 
remained, examining the batteries they had taken, 
and curiously surveying the novel scene before 
them. Flushed with victory, they were reluctant 
to turn their backs on the foe. Lieutenant Camp- 
bell was sent by the general to recall them ; but 
before he could perform the. service, the fate of 
these brave men was decided. The outlying In- 
dians gathered upon their flank, and attacked Cap- 
tain Combs' company ; Dudley hastened to his 
relief with part of his force, charged the foe, and 
drove them — but even now these impetuous Ken- 
tuckians were not satisfied, and instead of retreat- 
ing, pursued the enemy for two miles. The left 
oolumn, under Major Shelby, which remained in 
jjDssession of the batteries, was charged by the 
enemy, who had rallied, some made prisoners, and 
others driven to the boats. Major Shelby rallied 
the remainder, drove back the assailants, and has- 
tened to the assistance of Dudley. A retreat was 
now attempted ; but in such disorder, that the great- 
er part of the men were captured by the Indians, 
or surrendered to the British. Thus ended in sig- 
nal disaster, an affair planned with wisdorp, com- 
menced with the brightest hopes, conducted for a 
time with skill and gallantry, and blasted in its 
event by the imprudence of a generous band, who 

20* 



234 MEMOIR OF 

suffered their own impulse to lead them, instead of 
obeying the orders of their general. Had the in- 
structions given to Dudley been pursued, or an or- 
dinary degree of military judgment exercised, the 'M 
events of that day would have been among the 
brightest in the annals of our country, and Ken- 
tucky saved from the mournful office of lamenting 
the loss of some of her noblest sons. , 

The British and Indians now perpetrated their 
usual atrocities. The gallant Dudley fell by the 
tomahawk, with many of his brave companions. 
The prisoners were taken to head quarters, put into 
Fort Miami, and the Indians permitted to station 
themselves on the ramparts, and fire into the dis- 
armed crowd. " Those," says Colonel Wood, 
" who preferred to inflict a still more cruel and 'M 
savage death, selected their victims, and led them 
to the gateway, and there, under the eye of Gene- 
ral Proctor, and in the presence of the whole Bri- 
tish army, tomahawked and scalped them.'''' This 
horrid work of destruction continued until the arri- 
val of Tecumthe from the batteries. No sooner did 
the savage warrior behold the massacre, than he 
exclaimed, " For shame ! it is a disgrace to kill a 
defenceless prisoner ;" and stopped the carnage. 
One of our historians remarks, " In this single act, 
Tecumthe displayed more humanity, magnanimity, 
and civilization, than Proctor, with all his British 



WILLIAM IIEXRY HARUISON. 235 

associates in command, displayed tlirough the whole 
war on the north-western frontiers." 

\Vc forbear from making any comment on the 
cruel and insulting treatment of our prisoners by 
Proctor and his subordinates. It stands recorded in 
letters of blood, upon the page of history. 

General Proctor made a proposition to exchange 
such of the Kentucky militia as were his captives, 
for the friendly Indians residing within our limits, 
who were not prisoners, but neutrals, living in our 
country. Whether this was intended as an insult, 
is not known. General Harrison contented him- 
self with replying courteously, that he would refer 
the subject to the decision of the President. 

After the close of the action of the 5th, Proctor 
sent a formal summons to Harrison to surrender, 
to which our gallant commander simply responded, 
that he considered such a message an affront, which 
he desired might not be repeated. The boasting 
Briton, findinu!; that Harrison would not consent to 
be beaten, judged it expedient to be the vanquished 
party himself; and on the 8th he raised the siege 
and decamped. 

' General Harrison, leaving General Clay in com- 
mand, proceeded to Lower Sandusky and Cleave- 
land, to make arrangements for the better security 
of those places. He then passed into the interior. 
Governor Meigs, of Ohio, had used the most 
active exertions to carry assistance to the besieged 



236 MEMOIR OF 

American army ; and was on the way, leading a 
stout column of armed citizens, in person, towards 
the scene of operations, when the news of the re- 
treat of the discomfited army was received, and 
the troops were disbanded. 

The gallant Perry was, in the mean while, 
quietly and vigorously building up that fleet, in the 
command of which he afterwards achieved a vic- 
tory as brilliant, as complete, as advantageous, as 
it was unprecedented in the annals of American 
naval warfare. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 237 



CHAPTER XVI. 
The mounted regiment wider Col. R. M. Johnson. 



"■is' 



While these operations were going forward, 
Colonel Richard M. Johnson, a member of Con- 
gress from Kentucky, had devised the organization 
of two regiments of mounted militia, to be employed 
in traversing the whole Indian country, from Fort 
Wayne, by Lake Michigan, and the Illinois river, 
round to Louisville. The Secretary of War sub- 
mitted the plan to General Harrison, who made the 
following judicious reply: "I am sorry not to be 
able to agree with my friend. Colonel Johnson, 
upon the propriety of the contemplated mounted 
expedition. An expedition of this kind, directed 
against a particular town, will probably succeed. 
The Indian towns cannot be surprised in succes- 
sion, as they give the alarm from one to another 
with more rapidity than our troops can move. In 
the months of February, March, and April, the 
towns are all abandoned. The men are huntinir, 
and the women and children, particularly to the 
north of the Wabash, are scattered about, makins 
sugar. The corn is, at that season, universally hid 
in small parcels in the earth, and could not be 



238 MEMOIR OF 

found. There are no considerable villages in that 
direction. Those that are there, are composed of 
bark huts, which the Indians do not care for, and 
which, during the winter, are entirely empty. The 
detachment might pass through the whole extent 
of country to be scoured, without seeing an Indian, 
except at the first town they struck ; and it is more 
than probable that they would find it empty. But 
the expedition is impracticable to the extent pro- 
posed. The horses, if not the men, would perish. 
The horses that are now to be found, are not like 
those of the early settlers, and such as the Indians 
and traders now have. They have been accus- 
tomed to corn, and must have it. Colonel Camp- 
bell went but seventy or eighty miles from the 
frontiers, and the greater part of his horses could 
scarcely be brought in. Such an expedition in the 
summer and fall would be highly advantageous, 
because the Indians are then at their towns, and 
their corn can be destroyed. An attack upon a 
particular town, in the winter, when the inhabitants 
are at it, as we know they are at Mississineway, 
and which is so near as to enable the detachment 
to reach it without killing their horses, is not only 
practicable, but if the snow is on the ground, is per- 
haps the most favourable." 

This statement is equally creditable to the patriot- 
ism of Johnson, and the sagacity of Harrison ; and 
it was happy for the country, that while the govern- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISOX. 239 

ment accepted the services of the former, the advice 
of the latter was approved. The plan was so modi- 
fied, that Colonel Johnson was authorized, on the 
26th of February, 1813, to raise a mountcd.regi- 
ment to serve under the command of Harrison. 
James Johnson, the brother of Richard, was ap- 
pointed lieutenant colonel ; Duval Payne, and Da- 
vid Thompson, majors ; R. B. M'Affee, (the writer 
of the history of the war,) Richard JMatson, Jacob 
Elliston, Benjamin Warfield, John Payne, Elijah 
Craig, Jacob Stucker, James Davidson, S. R. Combs, 
\V. M. Price, and James Coleman, captains ; Jere- 
miah Kirtby, adjutant ; B. S. Chambers, quarter- 
master ; S. Theobalds, judge advocate ; L. Dick- 
inson, Serjeant major ; James Sugget, chaplain ; 
Doctors Ewing, Coburn, and Richardson, surgeons. 

The regiment proceeded to St. Mary's, and 
thence to Fort Wayne, employing every leisure 
moment in drilling; and several demonstrations 
were made ajrainst the Indian villaores in different 
directions. 

In the mean while, the tomahawk and firebrand 
were busily employed along the frontiers of Illinois 
and Missouri. In April the Indians invested Fort 
Madison, on the upper Mississippi ,• and soon after 
Fort Mason, on the same river, about eighty miles 
above St. Louis, but were bravely repulsed in both 
instances. 

The Osages solicited employment against tho 



240 MEMOIR OF ' 

British ; but the government, unwilling to engage 
the savages in war, and determined not to do so, 
except where the vicinity of the tribe to the scene 
of aoJion made it necessary for them to take up the 
hatchet in their own defence, — decUned their ser- 
vices. 

The British, by great exertions, collected nearly 
all the Indian warriors of the north and north-west, 
beyond the lakes, and many from our territories, 
into the neighbourhood of Maiden, where they were 
regularly supplied with rations. The number of 
warriors was about 2500. 

Johnson's regiment was now at Fort Winchester, 
when a dispatch from General Clay announced that 
Fort Meigs was threatened with a second siege, and 
required the aid of the mounted men. Johnson 
immediately paraded his men, addressed them in 
animated terms, and made preparations for the 
march. The regiment set out in high spirits, 
resolved to fight their way, if necessary, into Fort 
Meigs ; which post, however, they reached without 
opposition. 

General Harrison received at Franklinton the 
intelligence of the threatened attack of Fort Meigs, 
and immediately hastened to the scene of action. 

Before leaving Franklinton, he held a council 
with the chiefs of some of the friendly tribes, when 
he informed them that a crisis had arrived, in 
which it became necessary for the neutral tribes 



WILLIAM IIENKY HARUISON. 241 

residing near the frontier to decide against or for 
us. Tlie latter alternative was unanimously adopt- 
ed. The general then told them, that they would 
be informed when their services would be wanted — 
" but," said he, " you must conform to our mode 
of warfare. You are not to kill defenceless prison- 
ers, old men, women, or children." He remarked, 
that by their conduct he would be able to determine 
whether the British could restrain the Indians em- 
ployed by them ; for if the Indians fighting with 
him should abstain from such atrocities, the British 
could have equal influence with their own allies. 
He humorously told them that General Proctor had 
promised to deliver li'nn into the hands of Tecum- 
the, to be treated as that warrior might determine. 
" Now if I can succeed in taking Proctor," said he, 
" you shall have him for your prisoner, provided 
. you will agree to treat him as a squaw, and do him 
no other harm than to dress him in petticoats ; for 
he must be a coward who would kill a defenceless 
prisoner." 

On the 28th of June, General Harrison arrived 
by forced marches at Fort Meigs, with 300 men 
of the 24th regiment of U. S. infantry, under 
Colonel Anderson. 

We omit here a variety of services in which de- 
tachments were employed, and which are detailed 
in the histories of the war. 

By an order dated June 9th, I'^IS, the War 

21 



242 MEMOIR OF 

Department, at the urgent request of Governor 
Edwards, of Illinois, and General Howard, com- 
manding in Missouri, instructed General Harrison 
to order Colonel Johnson's mounted volunteers to 
proceed to Kaskaskia, to report to General Howard. 
The mounted men were indignant at this order, 
which would take them from a field in which the 
harvest of glory was ripening, and banish them 
into a wilderness four hundred miles distant, which 
they could scarcely reach before the expiration of 
their term of service. Colonel Johnson immediately 
addressed the following letter to General Harrison, 
in behalf of his regiment : — 

Camp at Lower Sandusky, July 4, 1813. 
" Dear Sir, 

" I arrived at this place last evening with a part 
of the mounted regiment, after two days' march 
from Camp Meigs, leaving two companies four 
miles in the rear, who were unable to reach this 
place ; besides about twenty horses left on the way, 
which I am in hopes will be able to get back to 
Camp Meigs, or come to this place in a few days, 
where we can keep them together, and recruit them. 
Having been in the most active service for upwards 
of forty days, and having travelled upwards of 
seven hundred miles, much of it forced march- 
ing, it is natural to conclude, that most of the horses 
are weak ; and we feel great pleasure, and obliga- 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKUI30N. 243 

tions to you, in finding your arrangements such as 
to enable us to recruit the horses of the regiment. 
To be ready to move with you to Detroit and Can- 
ada, against the enemies of our country, is the 
first wish of our hearts. Two great objects induced 
us to come — first, to be at the regaining of our 
own territory and Detroit, and at the taking of 
Maiden — and secondly, to serve under an officer 
in whom we have confidence. We would not have 
engaged in the service without such a prospect, 
when we recollected what disasters have attended 
us for the want of good generals. We did not want 
to serve under cowards, drunkards, old grannies, 
nor traitors, but under one who had proved him- 
self to be wise, prudent, and brave. The officers 
of the mounted refjiment had some idea of address- 
ing you on their anxiety to be a part of your army 
in the campaign against Canada, and of giving you 
a statement of the importance of having an oppor- 
tunity to make the regiment efficient for such a 
campaign, by recruiting their horses. As to the 
men, they are active, healthy, and fond of service. 
This morning I have sent 100 on foot to scour the 
surrounding country; and wherever we are we 
wish continual service. Our regiment is about 900 
strong when all together. I have left 100 at Defi- 
ance to regain some lost horses, and to guard that 
frontier. 

" You have not witnessed the opposition I en- 



244 MEMOIR OF 

countered in raising the regiment. Every personal 
enemy, every traitor and tory, and your enemies, 
all combined — but in vain. Nothing but the hurry 
which attended our march prevented me from hav- 
ing 1500 men. Nothing but the importance of the 
service which I thought we could render, would 
have justified my absence from the present catch- 
penny Congress. My enemies, your enemies, the 
enemies of the cause, would exult if the mounted 
regiment should, from any cause, be unable to carry 
a strong arm against the savages and British, when 
5''ou strike the grand blow. 

"It is with diffidence I write you any thing 
touching military matters ; but the desires of my 
soul, and the situation of the regiment, have induced 
me thus freely to express myself. In the morning 
we shalUeave this place for Huron, ready to receive 
your orders, which will be always cheerfully exe- 
cuted at every hazard. 

" Your obedient servant, 

" Rh. M. Johnson." 

On learning the situation of the regiment. Gene- 
ral Harrison advised the War Department, and the 
order for detaching it to Illinois was rescinded. 



WILLIAM HENRV HARRISON. 245 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Second siege of Fort Meigs. 

Early in July 1813, the Indians began again 
to infest the country around Fort Meigs. Tecum- 
the was in the field with a large force ; and Dick- 
son, an active partisan who had great control 
among the British Indians, was also there. Their 
united bands amounted to 5000 warriors. General 
Harrison received this intellisjence at Lower San- 
dusky, to which place he had just returned from 
Cleaveland. Leaving Major Croghan with 160 
regulars at Fort Stephenson, Lower Sandusky, he 
established his head quarters at Seneca Town, nine 
miles further up the river; and with only 140 regu- 
lars, began to fortify a camp. He was soon after 
joined by 450 regulars, under Colonels Paul of the 
infantry, and Ball of the dragoons ; and by Gene- 
rals M'Arthur and Cass, of Ohio. 

At Seneca, the general, with his usual sagacity, 
had chosen a position from which he could with 
facility fall back to the protection of his principal 
depot at Upper Sandusky, should the enemy endea- 
vour to turn his flank and attack that place ; or he 
would be able, should the safety of Fort Meigs re- 
quire it, to proceed there undiscovered, on a secret 

21* 



246 MEMOIR OF 

route, and cut his way into the fort ; or he would 
be in a situation from which, whenever his force 
should be sufficient, he could carry on offensive 
operations. Fort Meigs and Upper Sandusky were 
the points to be defended — Lower Sandusky was 
comparatively unimportant. 

General Harrison supposed that a movement of 
the Indians which had just taken place towards 
Fort Winchester, was intended as a feint to draw 
his attention in that direction, while an attack would 
be made on Cleaveland or Lower Sandusky. He 
was therefore actively engaged in reconnoitring the 
routes to Upper Sandusky, and watching the lake. 

On the 28th of July, the enemy abandoned the 
siege of Fort Meigs, and sailed round into Sandus- 
ky bay ; their savage allies marching across, to co- 
operate in a combined attack on Lower Sandusky. 
General Harrison, expecting this movement, was 
preparing for it. He had, with Major Croghan, 
and some other officers, made a thorough exami- 
nation of Fort Stephenson, and the surrounding 
heio-hts, and was satisfied that this work was en- 
tirely untenable. It was calculated for a garrison 
of only 200 men, was commanded by the neigh- 
bouring grounds, and could not be defended against 
heavy artillery. The orders, therefore, to Major 
Croghan, were, " Should the British troops approach 
you in force, with cannon, and you can discover 
them in time to effect a retreat, you will do so im- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. *J47 

mediately." " You must be aware, that the attempt 
to retreat iu the face of an Indian force woul^l be 
vain. Against such an enemy your garrison would 
be safe, however great the number."* 

The general received the intelligence of the rais- 
ins: of the siejic of Fort Mei2;s on the eveninf;^ of 
July 29 ; and anffcipating an attack on Fort Ste- 
phenson, or on his head quarters at Seneca, called 
a council of war, consisting of M'Arthur, Cass, 
Ball, Paul, Wood, Hukill, Holmes, and Graham, 
who unanimously concurred with him that Fort 
Stephenson could not be defended against artillery, 
and that, being an unimportant post, the garrison 
should be withdrawn. The followinsr order was 
in consequence sent to Major Croghan : — 



« 



Sir, 

Immediately on receiving this letter, you will 
abandon Fort Stephenson, set fire to it, and repair 
with your command this night to head quarters. 
Cross the river and come up on the opposite side. 
If you should deem and find it impracticable to 
make good your march to this place, take the road 
to Huron, and pursue.it with the utmost circumspec- 
tion and dispatch." 

The messenger who carried this order missed 
his way, and Major Croghan did not receive it until 



* M'Affcc, Dawson. 



248 MEMOIR OF 

the next day, when he did not conceive he could 
retreat with safety, as the Indians were hovering 
round the fort, in large numbers. A majority of 
his officers coincided with him in opinion, and' the 
following note was written to the general : — 

"Sir, « 

" I have just received yours of yesterday, ten 
o'clock, P. M., ordering me to destroy this place 
and make good my retreat, which was received too 
late to be carried into execution. We have deter- 
mined to maintain this place, and by Heavens we 
can." 

Major Croghan, in writing this note, took into 
consideration the probability of its falling Into the 
hands of the enemy, and used language of which, 
under other circumstances, he would have seen the 
impropriety. General Harrison, who was not ac- 
quainted with the secret reasons which dictated the 
dispatch, no sooner received it, than he sent Colonel 
Wells to Fort Stephenson, escorted by a squadron 
of dragoons, with the following letter : — ' 

" July 30, 1813. 
" Sir, 

" The general has just received your letter of this 
date, informing him that you had thought proper to 
disobey the order issued from this office, and deliv- 
ered to you this morning. Tt appears that the in- 



WILLIAM IIENKY HAKRISON. 249 

formation which dictated tlie order was incorrect ; 
and as you did not receive it in the night as was 
expected, it might have been proper that you should 
have reported the circumstances, and your situation, 
before you proceeded to its execution. This might 
have been passed over ; but I am directed to say to 
you, that an officer who presumes to aver that he 
has made his resolution, and that he will act in 
direct opposition to the orders of his general, can 
no longer be intrusted with a separate command. 
Colonel Wells is sent to relieve you. You will 
deliver the command to him, and repair with Colo- 
nel Ball's squadron to this place. By command, &;c. 
"A. H. Holmes, Ass't. Ad't. Gen." 

The squadron of dragoons by whom this order 
was sent, found the fort surrounded by lurking par- 
ties of Indians, some of whom they pursued and cut 
down. Major Croghan returned to head quarters, 
as directed, and was politely received by General 
Harrison, to whom he made siich explanations as 
were deemed entirely satisfactory. The next morn- 
ing he was reinstated in his command, with orders 
of the same tenor as those above stated. No op- 
portunity, however, was afforded to the gallant 
major to evacuate his post. On the morning of 
the 31st of July, the enemy approached Fort Ste- 
phenson by water, and landed a number of troops, 
with a light howitzer. The fort was then summoned, 



250 MEMOIR OF 

and the same declaration made, which was usually 
employed by the British during this campaign; 
namely, that unless the garrison should surrender, 
they could not be protected from massacre by the 
Indians, in case the fort should be taken. To this 
atrocious threat, as unjustifiable by any of the 
usages of war, as it was cowardly and discourteous, 
Ensign Shipp, who received the flag, replied on the 
part of Major Croghan, " That when the fort 
should be taken, there would be none left to mas- 
sacre ; as it would not be given up while a man 
was able to fight." 

A fire was opened from some six-pounders in the 
boats, and from the howitzer, with little effect. The 
fort was surrounded by 500 British regulars, and 
800 Indians, the whole commanded by General 
Proctor in person ; while Tecumthe, with 2000 In- 
dians, watched the road to Fort Meigs, to intercept 
any reinforcement that might attempt to approach 
in that direction. Croghan had but one piece of 
artillery, a six-pounder, which he removed from 
place to place, and fired in different directions, to 
induce the belief that he had several guns. Thus 
passed the evening and night. 

The firing was commenced early the next morn- 
ing, and continued through the day. In the even- 
ing an assault was made by the whole force of the 
enemy, in two columns, one led by Colonel Short, 
the other by Colonel Warburton and Major Cham- 



WILLIAM IIEMIV HARRISON. 251 

bers. They rushed to the works with great bra- 
very ; but one column was completely prostrated 
by a fire from the six-pounder, which was suddenly 
opened from a masked embrasure; while the other 
was thrown into confusion by a destructive fire of 
musketry, kept up by Captain Hunter. Colonel 
Short, a lieutenant, and twenty-five privates, were 
left dead in the ditch, and twenty-six of the enemy, 
badly wounded, were taken. The loss on our side 
was one killed, and seven slightly wounded. There 
were probably 150 of the enemy killed and wounded. 

When the fighting ceased, it was dark, and the 
situation of the wounded in the ditch was deplora- 
ble. Complete relief could not, with safety, be 
afforded them from either side. Major Croghan, 
however, instead of imitating the conduct of the 
enemy, who usually caused the wounded and pris- 
oners to be dispatched, or subjected them to insults 
and cruelty worse than death, continued to convey 
water to them over the picketing, and opened a 
passage, through which such as chose crept into 
the fort, and were kindly treated. 

At three o'clock the next morning, the ^vhole 
British and Indian force commenced a disorderly 
retreat. 

Fort Stephenson, which was the scene of this 
singular and gallant achievement, was not a regu- 
lar fortification. It was originally an Indian trading 
post, consisting of a large house surrounded by 



252 MEMOIR or 

pickets. For the convenience of making it a tem- 
porary depot for provisions, General Harrison had 
enlarged the enclosure on one side, and had caused 
a ditch to be drawn round the whole, so as to ren- 
der it safe from any attack by an Indian force ; but 
it was never contemplated that it could be held 
against regular troops. It was a mere outpost, of 
little importance ; and has derived its consequence 
solely from the remarkable facts of which it was 
the scene — from being assailed by the British com- 
manding general in person, at the head of an im- 
posing force, and successfully defended by a hand- 
ful of brave but inexperienced soldiers. 

In his official report, General Harrison remarks, 
" It will not be among the least of General Proc- 
tor's mortifications, to find that he has been baffled 
by a youth who has just passed his twenty-first 
year. He is however a hero, worthy of his gallant 
uncle. General George Rogers Clarke." The offi- 
cers under Croghan in this noble affair, were Cap- 
tain Hunter, of the 17th, Lieutenants Johnson and 
Baylor, of the 17th, Anthony and Anderson, of the 
24th, Meeks, of the 7th, and Ensigns Shipp and 
Duncan,* of the 17th — -all of whom behaved hand- 
somely. 

The best acts of distino-uished men are often mis- 
understood, or mischievously perverted. No sooner 
was the brilliant achievement of Croghan known 

* Joseph Duncan, now governor of Illinois, 



WILLIAM HENKY HARRISON. 253 

to the public, than the enemies of Harrison assailed 
him with the most bitter denunciations. The men 
who sate by their (iresides, enjoying all the com- 
forts of peace, while war was raging on our bor- 
ders — the opposers of the administration of the 
virtuous Madison — the craven spirits who would 
have purchased a peace from Britain by dishonour- 
able submission, now poured out a stream of mahg- 
nant sarcasm upon the leader of an army, whose 
patriotism and sufferings they were incompetent to 
appreciate. The decided disapprobation with which 
these charfres against the character of their accom- 
plished leader, were viewed by the officers under 
Harrison, must be evident from the prompt and 
indignant manner in which they were refuted? 
When the newspapers in which these unjust stric- 
tures were published, reached the army, the officers 
highest in rank, who had witnessed all the trans- 
actions, conceived it their duty to publish the truth, 
while the circumstances were yet fresh in memory ; 
and the following paper was signed, and forwarded 
to the interior for publication ; — 

"Lower Seneca Town, Aug. 19, 1813. 
" The undersigned, being the general, field, and 
staflT officers, with that portion of the north-western 
army under the immediate command of General 
Harrison, have observed with regret and surprise, 
that charges, as improper in the form as in the 

22 



254 MEMOIR OF 

substance, have been made against the conduct of 
General Harrison, during the recent investment of 
Lower Sandusky. At another time, and under 
ordinary circumstances, we should deem it improper 
and unmilitary thus publicly to give any opinion 
respecting the movements of the army. But public 
confidence in the commanding general is essential 
to the success of the campaign, and causelessly to 
withdraw or to withhold that confidence, is more 
than individual injustice; it becomes a serious injury 
to the service. A part of the force of which the 
American army consists, will derive its greatest 
strength and efficacy from a confidence in the com- 
manding general, and from those moral causes 
which accompany and give energy to public opin- 
ion. A very erroneous idea respecting the number 
of the troops then at the disposal of the general, 
has doubtless been the primary cause of those un- 
fortunate and unfounded impressions. In that re- 
spect we have fortunately experienced a very favour- 
able change. But we refer the public to the general's 
official report to the Secretary of War, of Major 
Croghan's successful defence of Lower Sandusky. 
In that will be found a statement of our whole dis- 
posable force ; and he who believes that with such 
a force, and under the circumstances which then 
occurred. General Harrison ought to have advanced 
upon the enemy, must be left to correct his opinion 
in the school of experience. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 255 

" On a review of the course then adopted, we are 
decidedly of the opinion, tliat it was such as was 
dictated by military wisdom, and by a due regard 
to our own circumstances and to the situation of the 
enemy. The reasons for this opinion it is evidently 
improper now to give ; but we hold ourselves ready 
at a future period, and when other circumstances 
shall have intervened, to satisfy every man of its 
correctness who is anxious to investigate and will- 
ing to receive the truth. And with a ready acqui- 
escence, beyond the mere claims of military duty, 
we are prepared to obey a general, whose measures 
meet our most deliberate approbation, and merit 
that of his country. 

Lewis Cass, Brig. Gen. U. S. A. 

Samuel Wells, Col. 17 R. U. S. I. 

Tho3Ias D. O wings. Col. 28 R. U. S. I. 

George Paul, Col. 17 R. U. S. I. 

J. C. Bartlett, Col. Q. M. G. 

James V. Ball, Lieut. Col. 

Robert Morrison, Lieut. Col. 

George Todd, Maj. 19 R. U. S. L 

William Trigg, Maj. 28 R. U. S. I. 

James Smile v, Maj. 28 R. U. S. I. 

Rd. Graham, IMaj. 17 R. U. S. L 

George Croghan, Maj. 17 R. U. S. I. 

L. Hukill, Maj. & Assist. Insp. Gen. 

E. D. Wood, Maj. Engineers." 



256 MEMOIR OF 

The gallant Croghan, too, scorning to receive 
applause at the expense of the honour of a general 
whose intrepidity and wisdom had been the themes 
of eulogy throughout the whole army, immediately 
published a document which reflects as high credit 
on the character of this noble-spirited Kentuckian, 
as the victory to which it alludes. We lay it before 
the reader, that the opinion of Croghan may be 
seen, as written by himself, on the battle-ground at 
Sandusky. 

" Lower Sandusky, Aug. 27, 1813. 

*' I have with much regret seen in some of the 
public prints such misrepresentations respecting my 
refusal to evacuate this post, as are calculated not 
only to injure me in the estimation of military men, 
but also to excite unfavourable impressions as to 
the propriety of General Harrison's conduct rela- 
tive to this affair. 

"His character as a military man is too well 
established to need my approbation or support. 
But his public service entitles him at least to com- 
mon justice. This affair does not furnish cause of 
reproach. If public opinion has been lately misled 
respecting his late conduct, it will require but a mo- 
ment's cool, dispassionate reflection, to convince 
them of its propriety. The measures recently 

ADOPTED BY HIM, SO FAR FROM DESERVING CEN- 
SURE, ARE THE CLEAREST PROOFS OF HIS KEEN 
PENETRATION AND ABLE GENERALSHIP. It is tl'Ue 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 257 

that I did not proceed imrncdijitely to execute his 
order to evacuate this post ; but this disobedience 
was not, as some would wish to beheve, the result 
of a fixed determination to maintain the post con- 
trary to his most positive orders, as will appear 
from the following detail, which is given to explain 
my conduct. 

"About 10 o'clock on the morning of the 30th 
ultimo, a letter from the adjutant general's office, 
dated Seneca Town, July 29th, 1813, was handed 
me by Mr. Connor, ordering me to abandon this 
post, burn it, and retreat that night to head quar- 
ters. On the reception of the order, I called a coun- 
cil of officers, in which it was determined not to" 
abandon the place, at least until the further plea- 
sure of the general should be known, as it was 
thought that an attempt to retreat in the open day, 
in the face of a superior force of the enemy, would 
be more hazardous than to remain in the fort, under 
all its disadvantages. I therefore wrote a letter to 
the general, couched in such terms as I thought 
were calculated to deceive the enemy should it fall 
into his hands, which I thought more than proba- 
ble, — as well as to inform the general, should it be 
so fortunate as to reach him, that I would wait to 
hear from him, before I should proceed to execute 
his order. This letter, contrary to my expectations, 
was received by the general, who, not knowing 
what reasons urged me to write in a tone so decisive, 

22* 



258 MEMOIR OF 

concluded very rationally that the manner of it 
was demonstrative of the most positive determina- 
tion to disobey his order under any circumstances. 
'J was therefore suspended from the command of 
the fort, and ordered to head quarters. But on ex- 
plaining to the general my reason for not executing 
his orders, and my object in using the style I had 
done, he was so perfectly satisfied with the expla- 
nation, that I was immediately reinstated in the 
command. 

*' It will be recollected that the order above al- 
luded to, was written on the night previous to my 
receiving it — had it been delivered to me, as was 
intended, that night, I should have obeyed it with- 
out hesitation ; its not reaching me in time was the 
only reason which induced me to consult my offi- 
cers on the propriety of waiting the general's fur- 
ther orders. 

" It has been stated, also, that ' upon my repre- £ 
sentations of my ability to maintain the post, the H 
general altered his determination to abandon it.' ', 
This is incorrect. No such representations were | 
ever made. And the last order I received from the "); 
general was precisely the same as that first given, 
viz. * That if I discovered the approach of a large 
British force by water, (presuming that they would 
bring heavy artillery,) time enough to effect a re- 
treat, I was to do so ; but if I could not retreat with 
safety, to defend the post to the last extremity.' 



WILLIAM IIEMtY IIAIJRISON. 259 



« 



'A day or two before the enemy appeared before 
Fort Meigs, the general had reconnoitred the sur- 
rounding ground, and being informed that the hill 
on the opposite side of Sandusky completely conv 
manded the fort, I offered to undertake, with the 
troops under my command, to remove it to that 
side. The general, upon reflection, thought it best 
not to attempt it, as he believed that if the enemy 
again appeared on this side of the lake, it would be 
before the work could be finished. 

" It is useless to disguise the fact, that this fort 
is commanded by the points of high ground around 
it ; a single stroke of the eye made this clear to me 
the first time I had occasion to examine the neish- 
bourhood, with a view of discovering the relative 
strength and weakness of the place. 

" It would be insincere to say that I am not flat- 
tered by the many handsome things which have 
been said about the defence which was made by 
the troops under my command ; but I desire no 
plaudits which are bestowed upon me at the ex- 
pense of General Harrison. 

" I have at all times enjoyed his confidence so 
far as my rank in the army entitled me to it, and 
on proper occasions received his marked attention. 
I have felt the warmest attachment for him as a 
man, and my confidence in him as an able com- 
mander remains unshaken. I feel every assurance 
that he will at all times do me ample justice ; and 



260 MEMOIR OF 

nothing could give me more pain than to see his 
enemies seize upon this occasion to deal out their 
unfriendly feelings and acrimonious dislike — and 
as long as he continues (as in my humble opinion 
he has hitherto done) to make the wisest arrange- 
ments and most judicious disposition which the 
forces under his command will justify, I shall not 
hesitate to unite with the army in bestowing upon 
him that confidence which he so richly merits, and 
which has on no occasion been withheld. 
" Your friend, 

" George Croghan, 

" Maj. \lth Infantry, commanding Lower Sandusky.''' 

It would be improper to pass over so important 
a passage in the life of General Harrison, without 
comment ; and the more so, as there is no event in 
the brilliant career of this accomplished leader, in 
which he has evinced such consummate general- 
ship ; yet none in which his conduct has been so 
little understood, or so grossly misrepresented. 

At the period when Croghan was ordered to 
evacuate Fort Stephenson, Fort Meigs was invested 
by 1500 British regulars and Canadians, and by 
5000 Indian warriors led by Tecumthe and Dick- 
son. A large portion of the latter were Winneba- 
goes, and others, of the fiercest of the Indian 
■ tribes, from the shores of the upper lakes ; who 
were brought for the first time to operate against 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 201 

tlic army of Harrison, by a promise that Fort 
Meigs should be stormed, and that the garrison 
and property should be given over to the Indians, 
to be dealt with according to their own rules of 
warfare. 

Information of tliese facts was brought to Gene- 
ral Harrison by Captains Oliver and M'Cune, who 
intrepidly passed through the invading force, to 
head quarters, to solicit a reinforcement. 

Captain M'Cune returned with advices from 
General Harrison to General Clay, and had just 
reached Fort Meigs, when the allied enemy prac- 
tised a subtle manoeuvre, for the purpose of draw- 
ing our troops out from the fort. A sham fight was 
acted in sight of the garrison : the Indian yell was 
heard, and the savages seen attacking a column of 
Canadians, who were but partially visible, and vvho 
were intended to represent the troops of Harrison. 
The white men were thrown into confusion ; and 
then rallied, and the Indians gave back. It was 
supposed that General Clay would mistake the 
Canadians for a strong reinforcement coming to his 
relief; and seeing them thus engaged, would rush 
out with his whole force to their support. But the 
recent arrival of M'Cune with advices from head 
quarters, prevented the American general from 
being deceived; although the stratagem was so 
well executed, that the troops, notwithstanding the 



262 MEMOIR OF 

representations of M'Cune, could scarcely be re- 
strained. 

Some dissatisfaction on the part of Tecumthe at 
an alleged act of bad faith in Proctor, induced that 
chief to withdraw with 500 warriors in the direction 
of Fort Winchester. This movement being at vari- 
ance with the most recent advices, and with the 
supposed plans of the enemy, made it more neces- 
sary for the commander-in-chief to look closely to 
the present safety of several important points, 
which he was preparing to defend. 

The most important places to be looked to, were 
Upper Sandusky and Cleaveland. The former 
was the principal depot of provisions, upon which 
the whole army depended for its support ; and at 
the latter the boats were building, under the direc- 
tion of Major Jessup, for the transportation of the 
troops in the intended descent upon Maiden. 

On the receipt, therefore, of the intelligence 
brought by the intrepid Oliver, and of other in- 
formation, the general fell back, with the small 
disposable force under his immediate command, to 
Seneca, thirty miles in advance of Upper San- 
dusky, for the purpose of covering that important 
place, and of throwing out assistance to Cleaveland 
or Fort Meigs, as circumstances might require. 

The Indian force then in the field was the largest 
and most formidable which had ever been assem- 
bled ; it was one with which General Harrison had 



WILLIAM llENKY IIAKRISON. 2G3 

not the strength to contend in open battle ; but he 
Avell knew that it could not be kept together for any 
considerable length of time ; and his undoubted 
policy was to keep his inferior force as nnuch toge- 
ther as possible, under the cover of their fortifica- 
tions — to avoid weakening his army by detach- 
ments, which would probably be cut off — to cover 
his provisions and boats — and to be prepared, on 
the dispersion of the Indians, to strike a decisive 
blow at the enemy, in his strong-hold at Maiden. 

Fort Stephenson was an outpost, used for a tem- 
porary purpose, and not forming any material part 
of the great plan, either of defence or attack ; and 
which, therefore, it would not have been good policy 
to maintain at any great expense of blood, or by 
any hazard of more important objects. The order 
therefore to Croghan to abandon that work, was 
dictated by sound military principles. The acci- 
dental delay of the delivery of that order to Major 
Croghan, and the more rapid approach of the 
enemy than had been expected, justified that brave 
and chivalrous ofiicer in the determination to main- 
, tain his post. But the same reason which rendered 
it impracticable for Croghan to retire, made it 
N equally impossible for the general to advance a de- 
tachment to liis relief. An immense Indian force 
was lying in wait for such a movement ; and al- 
though the small parties of mounted men, who 
bore the orders to and fro, eluded or cut their way 



264 MEMOIR OF 

through them, any larger body of troops attempting 
to pass between Seneca and Lower Sandusky, must 
have been cut to pieces — a catastrophe which would 
have given renewed audacity to the enemy, while 
it would have so crippled our army as to have dis- 
abled the general from giving efficient protection 
to Upper Sandusky and Cleaveland. 

Add to all this the facts, that Fort Meigs was 
strong and ably defended, and needed no reinforce- 
ment, unless the siege should be protracted ; and 
that the strongest corps under Harrison's immediate 
command, was a fine squadron of dragoons which 
could not act efficiently in the wooded country 
around Seneca, and towards Lower Sandusky, but 
would form a potent force in the open plains 
around Upper Sandusky, to which the general 
proposed to retire, — and it will be seen that this 
sagacious leader had maturely weighed every con- 
tingent circumstance, and adopted the only mea- 
sures consistent with the safety of his army, and 
the honour of the American name. 



WILLIAM HENRY HAllIUSON. 265 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Preparations for the invasion of Canada. 

The time had now arrived when General Harri- 
son found himself in a condition to reap the fruits 
of his long and arduous exertions, to carry into 
effect the intentions of the government, and to real- 
ize the hopes and expectations of the country. 
Through a long series of hardships, and in the face 
of the most appalling obstacles, he had successfully 
defended the frontier from depredation, and the fire- 
side of the citizen from the desecration of brutal 
violence. The troops, animated by the spirit of the 
commander-in-chief, and by the noble examples of 
the distinguished gentlemen who held high com- 
mands under him, had borne themselves with great 
courage in action, and with heroic patience under 
the severities of the climate and the privations of 
the wilderness. 

It is not to be disguised, that on some occa- 
sions disaffection showed itself in the army ; the 
men became impatient for action, or clamorous to 
return to their homes, and the conduct of General 
Harrison was censured in the newspapers of the 
day. It is almost fruitless to inquire, now, why 
any attempt should have been made to discredit a 



266 MEMOIR OF 

commander possessing the confidence of the troops 
and the people in a most remarkable degree, and 
directine his force with such uniform conduct and 
discretion. It is to be recollected, however, that 
this army was composed chiefly of militia, who 
volunteered their services for short periods ; and 
that the individuals composing each corps, would 
naturally desire that their own brief term of em- 
ployment should be signalized by some brilliant 
exploit. The American volunteer goes to the field 
under high excitement — with lively feelings of pa- 
triotism and of personal honour, which induce an 
eagerness for battle, and an impatience to return 
home with the laurels of viq^ory. Patient endurance 
of delay, blind obedience, passive and uninquiring 
submission, are not the virtues of irregular troops. 
The army of Harrison was made up chiefly of 
citizens — high-spirited men, of every grade of intel- 
lect—recently from home — unused to military re- 
straint — and accustomed to think for themselves. 
Some of the officers were lawyers and politicians ; 
some were members of Congress, or of the state 
legislatures; and a few had served in previous 
wars. There was of course a great diversity of 
opinion in relation to every movement of the army, 
graduated from the extreme of caution to that of 
rashness. They did not reflect that General Har- 
rison had military experience, knowledge of the 
country, and intimacy with the Indian character. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 12G7 

superior to their own ; that he had more extensive 
means of acquiring information ; that he was acting 
under instructions whicli it was not his duty to 
make public; and that, after all, he was the respon- 
sible individual, who would have to bear all the 
blame in case of failure, and who was bound to 
think for himself. He consulted his officers freely, 
and then acted accordinij to his own iudo;ment. 

O JO 

Nor was the peculiar situation of General Har- 
rison understood by those who clamoured for more 
speedy results than those which seemed at first to 
follow his operations. His first and most sacred 
duty was to defend the firesides of his countrymen. 
An immense line of exposed frontier was commit- 
ted to his care ; and he would have been a traitor 
to his trust, had he permitted a thirst for personal 
fame to lead him madly into the enemy's country, 
while his own was at the mercy of the savage. 
Idke every other gallant soldier, he coveted mili- 
tary reputation, and ardently longed to meet the 
foe on the battle-field ; but it is, and ever has been, 
a noble trait in the character of this distinjruished 
man, to sacrifice all personal considerations to his 
sense of duty. Few men in hi£;h station have ever 
evinced such uniform disinterestedness. 

We hope we shall not be misunderstood when 
we say that discontents, on a few occasions, pre- 
vailed among our troops. It would have been ex- 
traordinary if such had not been the case. Seldom 



268 MEMOIR OF 

have troops suffered so much or so cheerfully ; sel- 
dom has there been an army so badly supported by 
the government, and upon whose individual patriot- 
ism^ courage, and resources, so great dependence 
was unavoidably placed. A large majority of the 
citizens who were thus situated were rash hot- 
blooded young men, the sons of independent farm- 
ers, — the pride and flower of the chivalrous West. 
They were men who thought, and had a right to 
think ; and whenever men think, there will be a 
diversity of opinion. As a general fact, however, 
and with only a few rare and brief exceptions, 
Harrison enjoyed the affection and confidence of 
his followers to an unlimited extent, and the utmost 
harmony prevailed throughout the army. When, 
in a few instances, the troops became dissatisfied, 
his manner of bringing them back to their sense 
of duty was as characteristic of himself, as it was 
indicative of his talent for commanding, and know- 
ledge of human nature. He did not forget that he 
commanded an army of citizens, that he was but a 
citizen himself, elevated for the time above his 
equals, for the public good, and occupying a pa- 
triarchal station. Instead, therefore, of employing 
coercion, or using degrading punishments, he ap- 
pealed to their patriotism in animated harangues, 
which never failed to produce the desired effect. 
During the whole term of his service, he never 
caused a inilitia soldier to be punished, yet always 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 2G9 

co?n7nandi'(l the respect and obedience of the mili- 
tia. His speeches are said to have been uncom- 
monly happy ; they were pointed, glowing, and 
always appropriate to the occasion. Like the cele- 
brated General Mifllin of Pennsylvania, his elo- 
quence enabled him to command, without the ap- 
pearance of effort. 

Having with consummate skill carried forward 
the defensive operations of the war up to this point, 
General Harrison now proceeded to mature his plan 
for the capture of Maiden, and the conquest of 
Upper Canada. Commodore Perry had been di- 
rected to co-operate with him ; Colonel Johnson's 
mounted regiment, which had returned home, was 
again called into service ; Governor Meigs exerted 
himself to bring the brave Ohians into the field ; 
and the venerable Shelby, at the invitation of Har- 
rison, resolved to lead in person, to the invasion of 
Canada, a fresh band of Kentuckians. 

23* 



270 MEMOIR OP 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Perry* s victory — Preparations for invading 

Canada. 

Our attention will now be directed briefly to the 
naval armament upon Lake Erie, which had grown 
up, as if by magic, in the bosom of the wilderness. 
At the commencement of the year 1813, the British 
had a fleet, which gave them the command of the 
lake, while not a vessel floated under our flag west- 
ward of the Falls of Niagara. The government, 
finding how necessary it was to gain the ascendency 
upon the lakes, determined to proceed vigorously 
in the creation of a fleet ; and the heroic Perry was, 
in a happy hour for his country, appointed to su- 
perintend this important work. It is said that seve- 
ral officers of the same grade declined the command 
on Lake Erie, under the impression that there would 
be less opportunity of reaping laurels there than on 
the ocean ; but the gallant Perry more sagaciously 
reflected, that an officer gained the highest honour 
by serving where the country most demanded his 
services, and that a victory achieved upon an inland 
lake, in the command of a fleet, would be more 
unique and brilliant than any exploit which could 
be performed with a single ship on the ocean. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 271 

The ditlk'iilties that attended tlie biiildiiifr of a 
fleet at Hrie, need not he dwelt upon. Like Harri- 
son, he had every thing to create, and was obhged 
to rely much on his own mental resources, his per- 
sonal influence, and his industry. Persevering with 
indefatigable resolution, through a series of per- 
plexing and disheartening circumstances, his little 
fleet slowly but gradually swelled into maturity ; 
and before the enemy was aware of the formidable 
character of the preparations v/hich were going 
forward, the enterprising commodore was afloat on 
his favourite element, flushed with hope, and eager 
for battle. 

On the 2d of August, 1813, the commodore 
commenced getting his heavier vessels over the bar 
at the mouth of the harbour of Erie. The opera- 
tion required time and care, and it was successfully 
effected in the sight of the enemy, whose fleet 
arrived off Erie on the 3d, and after watching this 
operation, retired as soon as all our vessels were 
seen riding safely on the lake. The commodore 
now proceeded to Sandusky Bay, where he was 
visited by General Harrison, who supplied him with 
some men, to act as marines. 

Our fleet then proceeded towards Maiden, and 
the American flag was proudly displayed before 
the strong-hold of the enemy. The British launched 
another vessel, and the two fleets were apparently 
of equal force ; but the superiority was luidouhtedly 



272 MEMOIR OF 

theirs, as their vessels were larger, and carried 
more guns than ours. The whole number of guns 
carried by our squadron was fifty-four cannon, and 
two swivels ; while the British mounted sixty-three 
cannon, two swivels, and four howitzers. 

As the enemy made no show of an intention to 
accept the challenge thrown out by the appearance 
of our fleet on their shores, the gallant commodore 
retired ; and again visited Maiden after an absence 
of some days. At length, on the 10th of Septem- 
ber, Commodore Barclay, a skilful and veteran 
officer, sailed from Maiden, and offered battle to 
our eager seamen. We shall not repeat here the 
details of this brilliant action, which are familiar to 
our countrymen. The battle was hard fought, and 
skilfully directed — and the chivalrous Perry gather- 
ed laurels as lasting as they were dearly earned 
and richly merited. With a fleet constructed under 
his own eye, and crews disciplined by himself — on 
an untried scene — he planned his battle with saga- 
city, and conducted it with a coolness, and a prodi- 
gality of self-exposure, never excelled. For two 
hours and a half, the victory was doubtful ; but our 
triumph in the event was complete, and the whole 
of the enemy's squadron was captured. " We 
have met the enemy, and they are ours," were the 
brief words in which Perry announced his splendid 
triumph to the commander-in-chief of the north- 
western army. 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKKISON. 273 

Mad the nol)Io deeds of Perry ended here, his 
name would deservedly have been placed among 
the foremost of naval heroes — but the brightness 
of his fame was enhanced by other circumstances 
— his courtesy to the prisoners, his humanity to 
the wounded, the modesty with which he announc- 
ed his victory, the disinterestedness with which he 
divided the glory of the triumph with his subordi- 
nates, and his subsequent conduct, leave us nothing 
to regret and nothing to wish in relation to the 
moral beauty of this achievement, and the spotless 
reputation of its hero. Many brave young officers 
distinguished themselves under his command, who 
are now serving with reputation, or are remembered 
with respect. 

In the mean while, preparations were in active 
progress for the descent upon Canada. General 
M'Arthur, of Ohio, had been placed in command 
of Fort Meigs, with instructions to reduce the area 
of the works, and to make arrangements to ship 
the heavy artillery, and a portion of the military 
stores. The mounted regiment of Johnson repaired 
again to the frontier. By the 1st of September, 
the arrival of thirty wagons, and a brigade of pack- 
horses, placed the general in a condition to begin 
the business of transportation. The 9th of the same 
month had been appointed by the President, at the 
request of Congress, as a day of fasting, humilia- 
tion, and prayer ; and little as religion is usually 



274 -MEMOIR OF 

respected in armies, -this day was observed with 
decorum by all, and employed by many in exercises 
of sincere devotion. 

Governor Shelby was on his way to the frontier 
with a strong body of mounted men ; General 
Adair, a distinguished soldier, was one of his aids, 
and John J. Crittenden, equally eminent as a law- 
yer and politician, the other. These troops were 
organized, on their arrival at Urbana, into eleven 
regiments, commanded by Colonels Trotter, Don- 
aldson, Poague, Montjoy, Renwick, Davenport, 
Paul, Calloway, Limral, Barbour, and Williams. 
These regiments were formed into five brigades, 
commanded by Brigadiers Calmes, Chiles, King, 
Allen, and Caldwell, and the whole into two divi- 
sions, under Major Generals William Henry and 
Joseph Desha. 



WILLIAM IIENUY HAKKIsiON. 275 



CHAPTER XX. 

Invasion of Canada — Battle of the Thames , and 
capture of the British army — Expedition to 
Niagara — Resignation of General Harrison. 

The artillery, military stores, and provisions, at 
Fort Meigs, were embarked on the IGtli of Septem- 
ber, 1813, by General M'Arthur. General Clay, 
with the Kentuckians at that place, whose term of 
service had expired, had solicited permission to ac- 
company the proposed expedition, and now pro- 
ceeded with the stores. The provisions from Upper 
Sandusky were also pushed forward ; and the troops 
were concentrated at the place of embarkation on 
Sandusky Bay. On the 20th, General Harrison 
embarked with the regular troops under Generals 
M'Arthul' and Cass ; and between that time and 
the 24th, the remainder of the army followed to the 
place of rendezvous, at Put-in Bay. On the 26th, 
General Harrison sailed with Commodore Perry, 
in the Ariel, to reconnoitre Maiden ; and on his 
return issued a general order, prescribing minutely 
the order of debarkation, march, and battle, in the 
clear and accurate manner customary witii tiiis 
accomplished commander. 



276 MEMOIR OF 

On the 27th the army was embarked, and pro- 
ceeded towards the Canada shore ; the general hav- 
ing first circulated among the troops a spirited 
address, in which, among other things, he said, 
" Remember the River Raisin ; but remember it 
only whilst victory is suspended. The revenge of 
a soldier cannot be gratified on a fallen enemy." 

The army landed in high spirits; but not an 
enemy wrs to be seen. Proctor had burned the 
fort and navy-yard, and retreated to Sandwich. 
The victory of Perry, and the advance of Harrison, 
had daunted the courage of the British commander ; 
yet he had, a few days before, proclaimed martial 
law, and was issuing 15,000 rations per day — a 
fact which shows him to have been at the head of 
a numerous force. 

The troops encamped that night on the ruins of 
Maiden. This was a proud moment for the pa- 
triotic Harrison. Surrounded by his gallant fel- 
low-citizens, he stood upon the ruined breastworks 
of that fortress from which destruction had been 
poured upon the frontier, whence the Indian had 
been sent forth with the firebrand and tomahawk 
to his work of desolation, and where the gory 
scalps of Americans — of women and children, as 
well as of men slain in fight — were exhibited as 
trophies of British victory. The strong-hold of the 
enemy was abandoned. 

Harrison wrote to the War Department, " I will 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 277 

pursue the enemy to-morrow, althougli there is no 
probabihty of overtaking him, as he has upwards 
of 1000 liorses, and we have not one in the army." 
He proceeded, accordingly, the next day, to Sand- 
wich ; but Proctor had fled. 

" The inhabitants of Canada had fled from their 
houses, and hid their property, on the approach of 
the American army, fully expecting that the Kcn- 
tuckians, like the British^ would plunder and mas- 
sacre all before them : but they found themselves 
happily disappointed in these expectations."* Go- 
vernor Shelby, who accompanied General Harri- 
son, had issued an order to the Kentucky volunteers, 
in which he said, " While the army remains in this 
country, it is expected that the inhabitants will be 
treated with justice and humanity, and their prop- 
erty secured from unnecessary and wanton injury." 

On the 1st of October, the general officers were 
convened, and General Harrison stated his intention 
of pursuing the enemy. He informed them, says 
M'Affee, " that there were but two ways of doing 
it — one of which was, to follow him up the strait, 
by land — the other, to embark and sail down Lake 
Erie to Long Point, then march hastily across by 
land twelve miles to the road, and intercept him. 
*But the governor thinks, and so do I, that the 
best way will be, to pursue the enemy up the 

* M'Affee. 
24 



278 MEMOIR OF 

strait, by land.' The general officers unanimously 
concurred in the same opinion, together with Gene- 
ral Adair, first aid to the governor, who had been 
invited to the council. I have been thus particular 
in stating the facts," continues M'Affee, " relative 
to the determination to pursue the enemy, because 
it has been reported and believed that General Har- 
rison never would have pursued farther than Sand- 
wich, had it not been for Governor Shelby," &c. 
The fact is, there never was any difference of opin- 
ion between thern^ either as to the propriety of the 
pursuit, or the manner of performing it. 

We shall pass over a number of interesting de- 
tails which are not material to the issue ; and bring .;|J| 
the reader at once to the battle-ground. After a 
severe pursuit, the enemy was overtaken, on the 5th I 
of October. General Proctor was well posted, in a | 
position where his left was flanked by the river ij 
Thames, and his right by a swamp. Beyond the j 
latter, and between it and another swamp still further J 
to the right, were the Indians under Tecumthe. It ' ' 
was on this occasion that General Harrison practised 
a movement which, while it insured an easy victory, 
evinced a high degree of military genius, and 
promptitude of character. The army was formed , 
upon proper military principles, with the addition, 
that the flanks and rear were more strongly se- j 
cured than usual, to guard against the Indian mode | 
of warfare, — when Colonel Wood reported to the -j 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 279 

gonoral, tliat he had just reconnoitred the enemy, and 
tbund their regular infantry formed in open order. 
Proctor had probably heard that this mode of 
formation was practised by us in fighting the In- 
dians, and had misapplied the principle. He had 
committed an egregious error, and Harrison in- 
stantly availed himself of it. Aware that troops in 
. open order, that is, with intervals of three or four 
feet between the files, could not resist a charge of 
mounted men, he directed Colonel Johnson to dash 
through the enemy's line in column. The experi- 
ment was made with brilliant success. The mount- 
ed men charn;ed with ease through the ranks of the 
enemy, formed in their rear, and assailed their 
broken line. The battle was gained. No sooner 
was their line broken, than the British began to 
throw down their arms, and a victory, almost 
bloodless on our part, was obtained by the consum- 
mate ability with which the commander-in-chief 
wielded his forces, and the rapidity with which he 
took advantage of the mistakes of his adversary 

On our left, some fighting took place with the 
Indians. A lively fire was kept up for a short 
time. The Indians rushed up to the mounted men, 
and fiercely contested the ground for a few min- 
utes, until Tecumthe fell, as is supposed, by the 
hand of Colonel Johnson. 

The whole British array was captured, with the 
exception of a few that galloped ofi' with General 



280 MEMOIR OF 

Proctor. A guilty conscience gave wings to the 
flieht of this miscreant, whose whole career on our 
borders had been a continued series of treachery, 
rapine, and murder ; and who having pledged him- 
self to the Indians to give up to them General 
Harrison and his men, when talcen, to be massa- 
cred and scalped, may have thought it not prudent 
to trust his own person in the hands of the Ameri- 
cans. A greater monster never existed in human 
shape ; yet the British government sanctioned his 
atrocities, by giving him promotion. 

The British had eighteen killed and twenty-six 
wounded ; the number of prisoners taken was 600. 
Our loss was about the same in killed and wounded. 
The number of troops engaged on our side was less 
than 2500, of whom nearly all were militia. The 
enemy brought into the field 845 regular soldiers, 
and 2000 Indians ; so that if there was any differ- 
ence in point of numbers, it was in their favour. 

We must close our protracted account of this 
splendid achievement. The defeat of the enemy 
was the consequence of a novel and most able dis- 
position of our army by its commander, and the 
quickness with which he took advantage of the 
enemy's errors on the field of battle, at the mo- 
ment of engaging, and of the gallantry of our 
brave troops. It closed the war in that quarter ; 
and, together with the brilliant victory of Perry on 
the adjacent lake, rescued the whole north-western 



WILLIAM IlENKV irAUWlSOX. 291 

frontier from the depredations of the savage, and 
from all the accumulated horrors of war. In the 
lan<xuao;e of the Hon. Lan^don Cheves on the floor 
of Congress, " The victory of Harrison was such 
as would have secured to a Roman general, in the 
best days of the republic, the honours of a triumpli. 
He put an end to thoNwar in the uppermost Cana- 
da." He received his reward. Ho was compli- 
mented by Congress, and by various public bodies. 
There was but one voice — it was that of national 
gratitude, jDursting out in loud acclamation, in ap- 
plause of the public services of a great national 
benefactor. 

As the enemy was now completely beaten on 
the north-western frontier, General Harrison deter- 
mined to take part of his troops to the Niagara 
frontier, to assist in the operations that were going 
on in that quarter. This movement formed no part 
of the plan of the campaign which he was ordered 
to execute, but resulted solely from a desire to ren- 
der those troops as serviceable as possible, which 
had been raised and organized at so great an ex- 
pense of labour and money. The Secretary of 
War, then on the shores of the lower lakes, had, it 
is true, sent him an order to proceed to Niagara, 
when he should have completed the conquest of 
Upper Canada; but the bearer. Captain Rrown, 
WcLs drowned, and the order never reached General 

24* 



282 MEMOIR OF 

Harrison — who now, in a second instance, antici- 
pated the intentions of the government. 

On his arrival at Fort Niagara, preparations 
were made for an expedition against Burlington 
Heights, which were arrested by an order from the 
Secretary of War, directing General Harrison to 
proceed to Sackett's Harbour with his troops. He 
accompanied the troops to the latter place, and 
then set out, by way of New-York and Philadel- 
phia, for Washington. The news of the victory 
of the Thames had preceded him, and he was 
received everywhere with public rejoicings, and 
with the most decided demonstrations of respect. 

In the city of Washington he remained but a 
few days. His presence in Ohio was considered 
essential ; and he was urged by the President to 
repair to Cincinnati, to superintend the preparations 
for measures then in anticipation. 

We are sorry to be obHged to add, that the mili- 
tary services of General Harrison were now brought 
abruptly to a close. He expected, and it was the 
expectation of the public, that an important com- 
mand would be assigned him in the ensuing cam- 
paign. At that time the victories of Brown, Macomb, 
and Jackson, had not been gained. Harrison only 
had led his countrymen to victory, and he stood 
confessedly first on the list of American generals. 
The Secretary of War, however, had determined, 
for reasons which it would be difficult, at this pe- 



'4 



VA 



WILLIAJI HENRY HARKISON. 283 

riod, to explain, to dispense with the active services 
of this poi)uIar and successful ofViccr ; and in the 
plan for future operations, which he laid before the 
President, the command of a district was assigned 
to General Harrison, while the invasion of Canada 
was to be intrusted to others. 

A brave officer, who had served under General 
Harrison, makes the following remarks on this 
subject : — 

" The letter of the Secretary of War, of the 3d 
of November, gave strong indications, that so far 
as the arrangement could be controlled by his 
efforts. General Harrison would not be permitted 
to participate in any of the important or glorious 
operations of the approaching campaign. A major 
general who was in the prime of life, who had 
fought with rquitation under Wayne, who had sig- 
nalized his name and character in the memorable 
and well -contested events at Tippecanoe and Fort 
Meigs, and who had, by a bloodless victory on the 
Thames, achieved by the suggestions of his mas- 
terly genius, given peace to a widely extended 
frontier, restored an important territory to our go- 
vernment, and acquired possession of the greater 
portion of Upper Canada, was thus directed to 
remain in a district at no one point of which was 
there more than a regiment stationed." " In the 
mean time the Secretary had ventured on the very 
indelicate and outrageous proceeding of not only 



284 MEMOIR OF 

designating a subordinate officer for a particular 
service, within the district, but of transmitting the 
order directly to him to take a certain portion of 
the troops, without consulting the commanding 
officer of the immediate post or district. His order 
of the 25th of April to Major Holmes, was not less 
insulting to the commanding general, than it was 
conducive to every species of insubordination. The 
command of a major general was not even nomi- 
nal, if a secretary, at a distance of one thousand 
miles, were permitted thus to interfere in the internal 
concerns of his district. This course was evidently 
intended as a source of mortification to General 
Harrison, when contrasted with the unlimitea pow- 
ers confided to him in the campaigns of 1812-13. 
On the receipt, therefore, of the notification from 
the War Department, of the order of the 25th of 
April, General Harrison instantly addressed a let- 
ter of resignation to the Secretary, and a notifica- 
tion of it to the President. As soon as Governor 
Shelby heard of the resignation of General Harri- 
son, he lost no time in addressing the President in 
his usual forcible terms, to prevent his acceptance 
of it; but unfortunately for the public interests, the 
President was on a visit to Virginia, to which place 
the letters from General Harrison and Governor 
Shelby were forwarded, and that of the latter was 
not received until after Secretary Armstrong, with- 
out the previovs consent of the President, had 



> 



WILLIAM HENRY IIARKISON. 285 

assumed to liinisclf tlio liigh prerogative of ac- 
ccjiting the resignation. Tlie President expressed 
his great regret that tlie letter of Governor Shelby 
had not been received earlier, as in that case the 
valuable services of General Harrison would have 
been preserved to the nation in the ensuing cam- 
paign."* 

If General Harrison had not been a disinterested 
and high-minded man — if he could have sacrificed 
his sense of duty to pecuniary considerations, he 
might have remained with his family, enjoying his 
high rank, and its emoluments, and reposing upon 
his laurels ; but he disdained command, or the re- 
ception of pay for services which he was not per- 
mitted to perform, and cheerfully retired to private 
life when he could no longer be useful in the field. 

* Dawson's Life of Harrison. 



286 ' MEMOIR OF 



CHAPTER XXI. 
Civil services since the war. 

In the summer of 1814, General Harrison was 
appointed, in conjunction with Governor Shelby 
and General Cass, to treat with the Indians on the 
north-western frontier, and was successful in con- 
cluding a treaty at Greeneville, the old head quarters 
of General Wayne. 

In 1815, after the peace with Great Britain, it 
became requisite, in compliance with the treaty 
made at Ghent, to offer to the several tribes who 
had taken part with the enemy, the restoration of 
the territories which they had occupied before the 
war, and from which they were driven by the vic- 
torious arms of Harrison. General Harrison was 
placed at the head of this commission, and Gene- 
ral M'Arthur, and the Hon. John Graham, asso- 
ciated with him. A treaty was made by these 
commissioners, at Detroit, in the same year. 

In 1816, he was elected a member of the house 
of representatives in Congress, to fill a vacancy 
occasioned by the resignation of the Hon. John 
M'Lean, and also for the succeeding two years. 
There were on this occasion six candidates, but he 
received a majority of more than a thousand votes 



WILLIAM IIEMIV HAKKIi^ON. 287 

over the number given for all his competitors, when 
added toircther. 

About this time, one of the contractors of the 
army, wiiose gains had been reduced by General 
1 larrison's rigid integrity, endeavoured to injure his 
character, by charging him with improper conduct 
while in command of the army. General Harri- 
son demanded an investigation by Congress, and a 
committee was appointed, who, after a strict exami- 
nation, reported by their chairman, Richard M. 
Johnson, that General Harrison " stood above sus- 
picion," and " that he was, in his measures, go- 
verned by a proper zeal and devotion to the public 
interest." One of the members of the committee, 
Mr. Hulbert, in a few remarks which he made on 
the occasion, said that he had been prejudiced 
against General Harrison, but this investigation 
satisfied him that the accusation was false and 
cruel. " He was confident that directly the reverse 
was true. There was the most satisfactory evi- 
dence that the general, in the exercise of his official 
duties, and in his devotion to the public interest, 
had neglected his private concerns to his material 
detriment and injury. In a word," said Mr. Hul- 
bert, " I feel myself authorized to say, that every 
member of the committee is fully satisfied, that the 
conduct of General Harrison in relation to the sub- 
ject-matter of this inquiry, has been that of a brave 
honest, and honourable man ; and that, instead of 



288 MEMOIR OF 

deserving censure, he merits the thanks and ap- 
plause of his country." 

This investigation also satisfied Congress, that 
General Harrison had been unjustly treated by the 
War Department ; and a resolution giving him a 
gold medal, and the thanks of Congress, was now 
passed, unanimously in the senate, and with only 
one dissenting voice in the house. 

There were two subjects which General Harri- 
son had greatly at heart, in seeking a seat in Con- 
gress. One of these was the adoption of an efficient 
militia system ; and the other, the relief of the vete- 
ran soldiers who had served in the two wars for in- 
dependence. President Washington, and all his 
successors, had urged upon Congress the necessity 
of a more perfect organization of the militia ; but 
the difficulties which surrounded the subject had 
been such, that nothing had been done in relation 
to it. As it was well understood, that General 
Harrison not only took a great interest in this sub- 
ject, but fully understood it, he was placed at the 
head of the committee to whom it was referred ; 
and he reported a bill, together with an explanatory 
report, in the latter of which are discussed the 
points: first, that a government constituted like 
ours should rely upon its militia for defence, rather 
than on a standing army; secondly, that the militia 
should be disciplined ; and thirdly, that a state of 
discipline adequate to the object can only be ob- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 289 

tained by the adoption of a system of military in- 
struction combined with the ordinary education of 
youtli. The bill seemed to be generally approved ; 
but the indisposition which has always been evinc- 
ed in Congress towards the discussion of this sub- 
ject, caused a delay in taking it up ; and it was not 
until near the close of the session that General 
Harrison, by great exertions, succeeded in getting 
it debated in committee of the whole. His speech 
on that occasion has not been fully reported ; but 
Mr. Williams of North Carolina, afterwards, in 
speaking on another question, remarked that " the 
gentleman from Ohio had depicted the dangers of 
a standing army to a government like ours, in a 
strain of eloquence such as had rarely been wit- 
nessed in that house." We are enabled to present 
a very meagre outlme of the argument of that mas- 
terly effort. 

Mr. Harrison remarked, that the devoted attach- 
ment which has always been manifested by the 
soldiers of a veteran army towards a successful 
general, had its source in a principle of the human 
mind, which was the same in all countries, and in 
all ages. The people of the United States had no 
reason to expect that they would be exempt from 
the fate of other republics, unless they took wisdom 
from experience, and avoided the errors which had 
been fatal to the liberties of other nations. The 
greatest of those errors was the employment of 

25 



290 MEMOIR OF 

mercenary armies for their defence — in other words, 
making the military a distinct profession. The 
necessity of adopting this system arose from the 
neglect of qualifying the citizens to become their own 
protectors. If the citizens were not soldiers, sol- 
diers must be employed in war who were not citizens ; 
or citizens who, by devoting themselves to the use 
of arms, as a profession, would soon lose the char- 
acter of citizens. In a republic which would secure 
safety from foreign aggression and domestic insur- 
rection, the two characters must be united. 

But the mere enrolment of persons for military 
service did not render them soldiers. To become 
such, they must be subjected to a rigid discipline. 
The source of courage in armies is the conscious- 
ness, on the part of the soldier, of possessing the 
power to annoy his enemy, and to defend himself. 
To acquire the knowledge and the expertness to 
give this confidence, long practice in the use of 
arms, and in military evolutions, is necessary — so 
long, that the citizens who were enrolled for militia 
duty, could never spare the time from their other 
avocations, to acquire them. To force them to do 
so, would prove, to the poorer class especially, an 
intolerable burthen, unless they were paid, which 
would not be practicable, with the limited resources 
of our treasury. The opinion prevailed generally, 
that arming and enrolling the militia was sufficient, 
and the exploits of the armed citizens during the 



WILLIAM HENUY HARRISON. 291 

late war had been quoted, as sustaining that posi- 
tion ; in answer to which Mr. Harrison said, that 
glorious as were the performances of the undisci- 
plined militia in the late contcs, the victories gained 
by them were, with a single exception, achieved 
under circumstances peculiarly adapted to their 
mode of warfare, or where their superiority in the 
use of small-arms cave them a decided advantan;e ; 
while the disasters they suffered, were all attributa- 
ble to the want of discipline, not the absence of 
gallantry — for the latter was conspicuous on every 
occasion. Catties in the field were gained, in modern 
times, as far as troops are concerned, by a facility 
in performing evolutions, not by superiority in 
firing ; or as was observed by the famous Count 
Saxe, " by the legs, rather than the arms." 

In the commencement of the late war, continued 
Mr. H., it was believed that a small body of regular 
troops, with the aid of the militia, would be suffi- 
cient. The establishment accordingly consisted of 
two major generals, and twenty regiments ; but it 
was increased at every session of Congress, until 
it amounted to six major generals and fifty regi- 
ments, and if the war had continued two years 
longer, there would have been one hundred of the 
latter — so fully established had become the opinion, 
that the resources of the nation would be inadequate 
to carry on a protracted war with undisciplined 
militia. If then standing armies were dangerous 



292 MEMOIR OF 

to a republic, and if an undisciplined militia is in- 
adequate to its defence, what course was to be 
adopted? The militia must be disciplined. But 
how was this to be accomplished ? Mr. H. entered 
into a minute examination of all the plans that had 
been proposed at various times, and found them 
unsatisfactory. Among them was one proposed 
by General Knox, during the administration of 
Washington. This came nearer to Mr. Harrison's 
own plan than any other. It established the prin- 
ciple, that the military education of youth should 
take place between the ages of eighteen and twenty- 
one, and in camps of discipline. This was rejected 
upon the ground, that it would occupy too large a 
portion of that important period of life, when a 
young man was engaged in learning a trade or 
profession. 

The plan proposed in the report, and supported 
by Mr. H., was that of the ancient republics, which 
mingled military instruction with the ordinary edu- 
cation of youth, commencing with the elementary 
military duties at the primary schools, and ending 
with the higher tactics at the colleges. The expense 
was to be borne by the United States ; but to obvi- 
ate the objection of the increase of patronage which 
it would give to the general government, the in- 
structors were to be appointed by the states re- 
spectively. 

The system explained in the speech of which we 



WILLIAM HENRY HAURISON. 29'S 

have given a faint outline, was subniiUcd to the 
executive, and was approved by all the heads of 
departments — especially by Mr. Monroe and Mr. 
Crawford. The latter, having doubts of the con- 
stifbtionality of such a national plan of education, 
drew up an amendment to the constitution in regard 
to it, to be submitted to Congress. We have seen 
the draft in his handwriting. But the whole scheme 
was unpalatable to Congress. Just escaped from a 
war, and wearied with military details, with which 
few of the members had any personal acquaint- 
ance, they were willing to escape from the consid- 
eration of a subject so little in accordance with their 
tastes. We shall only remark, that General Har- 
. ' rison's bill was strongly recommended by the repub- 
lican features with which it was stamped. Had it 
been adopted, there would have existed no ground 
for the dispute about the preference for situations 
at West Point. The children of the rich and the 
poor would have received the same military edu- 
cation. 

The subject of training the militia was one to 
which General Harrison's attention had been early 
directed. Although he had spent several years in 
the army as a regular officer, he had never thought 
of becoming a soldier by profession. But on enter- 
ing upon civil duties, being always strongly addict- 
ed to historical reading, it was natural that his 
knowledge of military details should induce him to 

25* 



294 MEMOIR OF 

relish those parts of history which treat of war. 
Having been educated in the strictest repubUcan 
principles, he was particularly attracted by the 
early periods of the history of the ancient repub- 
lics, when every citizen was a soldier ; and seeifcg 
that their downfall was usually produced by the 
change in their military systems, which committed 
their defence to the hands of soldiers by profession, 
the predilections which, as a regular officer, he 
might be supposed to have imbibed, were com- 
pletely obliterated by the impression, that the liber- 
ties of his own country might fall through the same 
cause. With such opinions he became governor 
of Indiana ; and rejoicing in the opportunity offered 
by the possession of almost unlimited power, for 
trying the practicability of his views in regard to a 
militia, he commenced a system of discipline, in 
the expectation of rendering the citizens of the ter- 
ritory as efficient in its defence, as regular soldiers. 
The situation of the country rendered the experi- 
ment as necessary as it became popular ; and the 
people cheerfully seconded the views of the gover- 
nor. Being qualified for the task, he instructed 
them personally, performing all the duties of the 
drill officer; while he at the same time pursued 
that extensive course of reading which has rendered 
him one of the most accomplished soldiers of our 
country. Few men have read history with more 
care, or greater instruction. By these means, the 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 295 

militia of Indiana were so well trained, that when 
the exigency occurred, they were found to equal 
regular soldiers. Had not such been the case, the 
advance upon Tippecanoe would not have been 
conducted with such consummate skill, nor closed 
with so brilliant a result. During the march, this 
body of troops was always ready to meet an ene- 
my — ^t night they could be paraded in the order 
of battle without confusion — and when at last the 
enemy assailed them under the cover of darkness, 
they performed the frequent changes of position, 
which circumstances required, with facility and 
accuracy. It was a splendid triumph of genius — 
in which the reading, the thought, and the labour 
of years, were rewarded by a triumphantly success- 
ful result. 

In the war which followed. General Harrison 
again exerted himself to show the efficiency of the 
militia. He omitted no opportunity to inculcate 
upon his countrymen that they were as capable of 
self-defence as of self-government, and that they 
needed as little a standing armv to fio-ht their bat- 
ties, as an hereditary government to conduct their 
civil affairs ; and he again proved the correctness 
of his views, by leading the gallant men of the 
West to battle and to victory. 

In January, 1818, Mr. Harrison introduced a 
resolution, m the House of Representatives, in ho- 



296 MEMOIR OF 

nour of the memory of Kosciusko, then recently 
deceased ; and made a feeling and classical speech. 

He also advocated warmly the proposition to ac- 
knowledge the independence of the South American 
republics. 

While Greneral Harrison was in the House of Rep- 
resentatives, the important debate arose, on the reso- 
lution to censure General Jackson for his conduct 
in the Seminole war ; and he delivered on this sub- 
ject a most elaborate and eloquent speech. It was 
one of the finest efforts elicited by that interesting 
occasion ; but is chiefly admirable for its impartial 
and patriotic spirit. While he disapproved the 
course of General Jackson, and commented on his 
conduct with the manly independence of a freeman, 
he defended such of the acts of that distinguished 
citizen as he thought right, and did justice to his 
motives. His concluding remarks were as fol- 
lows : — 

" If the highest services could claim indemnity 
for crime, then might the conqueror of Platsea have 
been suffered to continue his usurpations until he 
had erected a throne upon the ruins of Grecian 
liberty. Sir, it will not be understood that I mean 
to compare General Jackson with these men. No ; 
I believe that the principles of the patriot are as 
firmly fixed in his bosom as those of the soldier. 
But a republican government should make no dis- 
tinctions between men, and should never relax its 



WILLIAM I[ENI:Y HARRISON. 297 

maxims of security for any individual, however 
distinguished. No man should be allowed to say 
that he could do that with impunity which another 
could not do. If the father of his country were 
alive, and in the administration of the government, 
and had authorized the taking of the Spanish posts, 
I would declare my disapprobation as readily as I 
do now. Nav, more — because the more distin- 
guishcd the individual, the more salutary the exam- 
ple. No one can tell how soon such an example 
may be beneficial. General Jackson will be faith- 
ful to his country ; but I recollect that the virtues 
and patriotism of Fabius and Scipio, were soon fol- 
lowed by the crimes of Marius and the usurpation 
of Sylla. I am sure, sir, that it is not the intention 
of any gentleman upon this floor to rob General 
Jackson of a single ray of glory ; much less to 
wound his feelings, or injure his reputation. And 
whilst I thank my friend from Mississippi, (Mr. 
Poindexter,) in the name of those who agree with 
me that General Jackson has done wrong, I must 
be permitted to decline the use of the address which 
he has so obligingly prepared for us, and substitute 
the following, as more consonant to our views and 
opinions. If the resolutions pass, I would address 
him thus : ' ^n the performance of a sacred duty 
imposed by their construction of the constitution, 
the representatives of the people have found it 
necessary to disapprove a single act of your brilliant 



29S MEMOIR OF 

career; they have done it in the full conviction that 
the hero who has guarded her rights in the field, 
will bow with reverence to the civil institutions of 
his country — that he has admitted as his creed, 
that the character of the soldier can never be com- 
plete without eternal reference to the character of 
the citizen. Your country has done for you all 
that a country can do for the most favoured of her 
sons. The age of deification is past ; it was an age 
of tyranny and barbarism : the adoration of man 
should be addressed to his Creator alone. You 
have been feasted in the Pritanes of the cities. 
Your statue shall be placed in the capitol, and your 
name be found in the songs of the virgins. Go, 
gallant chief, and bear with you the gratitude of 
your country. Go, under the full conviction, that 
as her .glory is identified with yours, she has no- 
thing more dear to her but her laws, nothing 
more sacred but her constitution. Even an unin- 
tentional error shall be sanctified to her service. 
It will teach posterity that the government which 
could disapprove the conduct of a Marcellus, will 
have the fortitude to crush the vices of a Marius.' 

" These sentiments, sir, lead to results in which 
all must unite. General Jackson will still live in 
the hearts of his fellow-citizens, and the constitution 
£)f your country will be immortal." 

In 1819, General Harrison was elected a mem- 
be^X of the senate in the legislature of Ohio; he 



WILLIAM HENRY JIAURISON. 299 

served in this capacity two years, devoting his 
mind to public business with his usual ability and 
industry. He was also, during this period, one of 
the electors of president and vice-president, and 
voted for Jaincs Monroe and Daniel D. Tompkins. 
He atlcr wards, as an elector, voted for Mr. Clay. 

In 182xJ he was again a candidate for Congress, 
and was defeated in consequence of having voted 
against the Missouri restriction. 

In 1824 he was elected to the Senate of the 
United States ; and was appointed chairman of the 
Military Committee, in place of General Jackson, 
who had resigned. He introduced, from that com- 
mittee, a bill for the prevention of desertion in the 
army. He proposed to effect this object, not by 
increasing the punishment, but by raising the moral 
character of the army, elevating the grade of the 
non-commissioned officer, increasing his pay, and 
making him more respectable — and by holding out 
inducements to the soldier to perform his duty. 
These points he enforced in an elaborate and ani- 
mated speech. 

He also introduced a bill for decreasing the duty 
on salt ; which he supported on the ground, that as 
this article is a necessary of life, it should not be 
burthened,with a tax which would increase its price. 

A bill to confer the appointment of cadets at 
\Vest Point on the sons of those who had fallen in 
battle, in defence of the country, was introduced 



300 MEMOIR OF 

into the Senate by Mr. Robertson of Louisiana ; 
and on his resignation, was left in the care of Gene- 
ral Harrison, who advocated it warmly. 

He also devoted his attention while in the House, 
and afterwards in the Senate, to the subject of 
military pensions, and endeavoured to procure the 
passage of an uniform law, which should embrace 
the cases of all those who should be deserving of 
this kind of justice from their country. 

His efforts in favour of the claims of the surviv- 
ing soldiers of the revolution, will not soon be for- 
gotten by the descendants of those heroes. His 
exertions, joined with those of the venerable Bloom- 
field, who, as chairman of the committee of the 
House, reported the bill, and of some other mem- 
bers, prevailed in rescuing those meritorious men 
from the evils of neglect and poverty. A speech 
delivered by him on this occasion has been pub- 
lished in the newspapers, and is one of the ablest 
of this gentleman's efforts — replete with good sense, 
eloquence, and humanity. 

The next high station filled by General Harrison 
was that of minister plenipotentiary to the Republic 
of Colombia, which he received in the year 1828. 
He proceeded immediately upon his mission, landed 
at Maracaybo on the 22d of December in that year, 
and repaired thence to Bogota. He found the coun- 
try in a wretched state of confusion ; the govern- 
ment a military despotism, and the people as igno- 



WILLIAM HENRY HAKRISON. 301 

rant of their rights as they were lawless in their 
conduct. He was received with the most flatterinii- 
demonstrations of respect ; but his liberal opinions, 
his stern republican integrity, and the plain sim- 
plicity of his dress and manners, contrasted too 
strongly with the arbitrary opinions and ostenta- 
tious behaviour of the public officers, to allow him 
to be long a favourite with those who had usurped 
the power of that government. They feared that 
the people would perceive the diflerence between a 
real and a pretended patriot, and commenced a 
series of persecutions against our minister, which 
rendered his situation extremely irksome. He sus- 
tained himself, however, with his usual gallantry 
and prudence. 

The letter of General Harrison to Bolivar has 
already been published ; but wc must take the lib- 
erty of reprinting this elegant and vigorous produc- 
tion, which does honour to the talents of the writer, 
while it shows how deeply his mind is imbued with 
the principles of liberty, and the fear of military 
encroachment. No American can read it without 
emotions of pride- 

BoHOTA, 27th September, 1829. 
Sir.— 

If there is any thin^ in tlie style, the matter, or the object, of 
this letter, w hich is calculated to give ofl'ence to your Excellency, 
I am persuaded you will readily foreive it, when you reflect on the 
motives which induced lue to \\ riti' it. An old soldier could possess 
no feelings but those of the kindest character towards one who has 
shed so much lustre on the profession of arms; nor can a citizen of 
the country of VVashinpton cease to wish that, in Bolivar, the world 
might behold another instance of the highest military atiainnients 

26 



302 MEMOIR OF 

united with the purest patriotism, and the greatest capacity for civil 
government. 

Such, sir, have been the fond hopes, not only of the people of the 
United States, but of the friends of liberty throughout the world. I 
will not say that your Excellency has formed projects to defeat these 
hopes. But there is no doubt, that they have not only been formed, 
but are, at this moment, in progress to maturity, and openly avow- 
ed by those who possess your entire confidence. I will not attribute 
to these men impure motives ; but can they be disinterested advi- 
sers ? Are they not the very persons who will gain most by the 
proposed change ? — who will, indeed, gain all that is to be gained, 
without furnishing any part of the equivalent? That that, the price 
of their future wealth and honours, is to be furnished exclusively by 
yourself? And of what does it consist ? Your great character. 
Such a one, that, if a man were wise, and possessed of the empire 
of the Cffisars, in its best days, he would give all to obtain. Are you 
prepared to make this sacrifice, for such an object ? 

I am persuaded that those who advocate these measures, have 
never dared to induce you to adopt them, by any argument founded 
on your personal interests ; and that, to succeed, it would be neces- 
sary to convince you that no other course remained, to save the 
country from the evils of anarchy. This is the question, then, to 
be examined. 

Does the history of this country, since the adoption of the consti- 
tution, really exhibit unequivocal evidence that the people are unfit 
to be free? Is the exploded opinion of a European philosopher, of 
the last age, that " in the new hemisphere, man is a degraded being." 
to be renewed, and supported by the example of Colombia? The 
proofs should, indeed, be strong, to induce an American to adopt an 
opinion so humiliating. 

Feeling always a deep interest in the success of the revolutions 
in the late Spanish America, I have never been an inattentive ob- 
server of events pending, and posterior to the achievement of its 
independence. In these events, I search in vain for a single fact to 
show that, in Colombia at least, the state of society is unsuited to 
the adoption of a free government. Will it be said that a free go- 
vernment did exist, but, being found inadequate to the objects for 
which it had been instituted, it has been superseded by one of a dif- 
ferent character, with the concurrence of a majority of the people? 
It is the most difficult thing in the world for me to believe that a 
people in the possession of their rights as freemen, would ever be 
willing to surrender them, and submit themselves to the will of a 
master. If any such instances are on record, the power thus trans- 
ferred has been in a moment of extreme public danger, and then 
limited to a very short period. I do not think that it is by any 
means certain, that the majority of the French people favoured the 
elevation of Napoleon to the throne of France. But, if it were so, 
how different were the circumstances of that country from those of 
Colombia, when the constitution, of Cucuta was overthrown! At 
the period of the elevation of Napoleon to the first consulate, all 
the powers of Europe were the open or secret enemies of France — 
civil war raged within her borders ; the hereditary king possessed 
many partisans in every province ; the people, continually betrayed 
by the factions which murdered and succeeded each other, had im- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. ^03 

l>il"(l a portion ol" their ferocity, and every town and village wit- 
I -' il the in(hsrriniinute s;l;iu;:hter of hotli nnii ami uciinen, of all 
jiuriHs and prim iples. Does the history of Colnniliia, since the ex- 
pulsion of the tJpaniards, present any parallel to ihcsi- scenes? Her 

iVonlicrs liave lieeii never seriously menaced — no civil war ra^'ed 

not a partisan of the former jfovcrnment was to he found in the 
whole extent of her territory — no factions contended witlnach other 
fur the possession of power; the executive government remained in 
tlie hands of tiiosc to whom it liad heen committed hy the people, 
in a fair electu)n. In fact, no people ever passed from under the 
yoke uf a des|M(tic povernment, to the enjoyment of entire freedom, 
with less disposition to abuse their newly acfjuired power, than those 
of Colomhia. They submitted, inde<-d. to a continuance of some of the 
most arbitrary and unjust fealuns whichdistin^'uished the former ;.'o- 
vernmenf. If tin r<' was any disposition, on the part of the L'reiit mass 
of the people, to etfect any chanj,'e in the existing order of things; 
if the Colombians act from the same motives and ujion tlie sanie 
principles which govern mankind elsewhtre, and in all ages, they 
would have desired to take from the government a part of the power, 
which, in their inexperience, they had conlid(!d to it. The monopoly 
of certain articles of agricultural produce, and the oppressive duty 
of the Alcavala, mi-rht have been tolerated, until the la.st of their 
tyrants were driven from the country. Ihit when peace w as restored, 
when not one enemy remained within its borders, it might reason- 
ably hate been supposed that the people would liave desired to 
abolish these remains of arbitrary government, and substitute for 
them some tax- more equal and accordant with republican principles. 

On the contrary, it is pretended that they had become enamoured 
with these despotic measures, and so disirusted with the freedom 
they did enjoy, that they were m«re than willing to commit their 
destinies to the uncontrolled will of your Excellency. Let me 
assure you, sir, that these assertions w i"ll gain no credit with the 
present generation, or with posterity. They will demand the facts 
which had induced a people, by no means deficient in intelliirence, 
BO soon to abandon the. i)ri/iciples for winch they Jiad so gallantly 
fouuht, and tamely surrender that liberty, which had been obtained 
at the expense of so nmch blood. And what facts can be produced? 
It cannot be said that life anil j)roperty were not as well |irotected 
tinder tlie republican government, as they have ever been ; nor that 
there existed any opposition to the constitution and laws, too strong 
for the ordinary powers of the government to put down. 

If the insurrection of General Paez, in Venezuela, is adduced, I 
would ask, by what means was he reduced to obedience? Yolir 
E.xcellency, the legitimate head of the republic, ajipeared, and, in a 
moment, all opposition ceased, and Venezuela was restored to the 
republic. Hut. it is said, that this was effected bv vour personal 
influence, or the dread of your military talents, an'd'that. to keep 
General Paez, and other ambitious chiefs, from dismembering the 
republic, it was necessary to invist your E.xcellency with^he extra- 
ordinary powirs you posse.es. There would be sonie reason in this, 
if you had refii.sed to act without these powers; or, having acted as 
you did, you had been unable to accomplish any thing without them. 
But you succeeded completely, and there can be no iwssible reason 



304 MEMOIR OF 

« 

assigned, why you would not have succeeded, with the same means, 
against any future attempt of general Paez, or any other general. 

There appears, however, to be one sentiment, in which all parties 
unite; that is, that, as matters now stand, you alone can save the 
country from ruin, at least, frdm much calamity.. They differ, how- 
ever, very widely, as to the measures to be taken to pirt your Excel- 
lency in the way to render this important service. The lesser, and 
more interested party, is for placing the government in your hands 
for life ; either with your present title, or with one which, it must 
be confessed, better accords with the nature of the powers to be 
exercised. If they adopt the less offensive title, and if they weave 
into their system some apparent checks to your will, it is only for 
the purpose of masking, in some degree, their real object ; which is 
nothing short of the establishment of a despotism. The plea of 
necessity, that eternal argument of all conspirators, ancient or 
modern, against the rights of mankind, will be resorted to, to induce 
3'ou to accede to their measures ; and the unsettled state of the 
country, which has been designedly produced by them, will be adduced 
as evidence of that necessity. 

There is but one way for your Excellency to escape from the 
snares which have been so artfully laid to entrap you, and that is, 
to stop short in the course which, unfortunately, has been already 
commenced. Every step you advance, under the influence of such 
councils, will make retreat more difficult, until it will become im- 
practicable. You will be told that the intention is only to vest you 
with authority to correct what is wrong in the administration, and 
to i)iit down the factions, and that, when the country once enjoys 
tranquillity, the government may be restored to the people. Delu-' 
sive will be the hopes of those who rely ui)on this declaration. The 
promised hour of tranquillity will never arrive. If events tended 
to produce it, they would be counteracted by the government itself. 
It was the strong remark of a former President of the United States, 
that, " Sooner will the lover be contented with the first smiles of his 
mistress, than a government cease to endeavour to preserve and 
extend its powers." With whatever reluctance your Excellency 
may commence the career ; with whatever disposition to abandon 
it, when the objects for which it was commenced have been obtained; 
when once fairly entered, you will be borne along by the irresistible 
force of pride, habit of command, and, indeed, of self-preservation, 
and it will be impossible to recede. 

But, it is said, that it is for the benefit of the people that the pro- 
posed change is to be made ; and that by your talents and influence, 
alone, aided by unlimited power, the ambitious chiefs in the differ- 
ent departments are to bei-estrained, and the integrity of the repub- 
lic preserved. I have said, and I most sincerely believe, that, from 
the state into which the country has been brought, that you alone 
can preserve it from the horrors of anarchy. But I cannot conceive 
that any extraordinary powers are necessary. The authority to see 
that the laws are executed; to call out the strength of the country, 
to enforce their execution, is all that is required, and is what is pos- 
sessed by the Chief Magistrate of the United States, and of every 
other republic; and is what was confided to the executive, by the 
constitution of Cucuta. Would your talents or your energies be 



WILLIAM HK?iRY HAKKISON. 305 

iiiipuiruii ill tlu; coiiiicil, or tlio fiohi.or your intliicncc It-sseiied, wlifii 
uctiiig as the licad of a rrpiililii- ? 

I projuisc to cxniiiiiic, very lirielly, iho rrsiilts wliirh aro likfly to 
flow from the pro|Kisetl cliaiiije of {roverngient : 1st, in relation to the 
country ; ami, 'Jd, to yourself, pi rsonally. Is the trancpiillity of thn 
country to he secured Iiy it ? is it possihle for ynnr Kxcilicncy to 
believe, tliat when the mask has been thrown ort', anil thi' peoph- dis- 
covi'r that a desiinlic jrovernment lias been fi.Vfd iipun tiitni. that 
they will quieily submit to it? Will they foriret the pass-word 
which, like tlie cross of lire, was the sijrnal for rallyiiif; to oppose 
their former tyrants? Will the vir^Miis, at your binding, cease to 
chaunt the soiil's of liberty, wiiicii so lately animated the youth to 
victory ? Was the patriotic blood <d" C'ulombia all expended in the 
fields of Variras, Bayaca, and Carebobo ? 'J'lie schools may cease to 
enforce upon their jiupils the love of country, drawn from the ex- 
amples of Cato and the lirnti, Harmodiiis and Aristogiton ; but the 
fllorious example of patriotic devotion, exliibit"d in your own Ha- 
cienda, will supply their place. Depend on it, sir, that the moment 
whidi shall announce the coiitinuaiice of arbitrary power in your 
hands, will be the conunencLMuent of commotions which will require 
all your talents and energies to suppress. You may succeed. The 
disciplined army, at your disposal, may be too powerful for an un- 
armed, undisciplined, and scattered population; but one unsuccessful 
ertort will ii(tt content them, and your feelings will be eternally 
racked by being obliged to make war upon those who have been 
accustomed to call you their father, and to invoke blessings on your 
head, and for no cause but their adherence to principles which you 
yourself had taught them to regard more than their lives. 

If by the strong government which Hk." advocates for the proposed 
change so strenuously recommend, one without responsibility is in- 
tended, which may put men to death, and immure them in dungeons, 
without trial, and one where the army is everything, and the people 
nothing, I must say, that, if the tranquillity of Colombia is to be 
preserved in this way, the wildest anarchy would be preferable. Out 
of that anarchy a better government might arise ; but the chains of 
military despotism once fastened upon a nation, ages might pass 
away before they could be shaken oti'. 

But I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which 
is most free. We consider that of the United States as the strongest, 
precisely because it is the most free. It possesses the faculties, eijually 
to protect itself from foreign force or internal convulsion. In both, 
it has been sufficiently trieil. In no country upon earth, would an 
armed opposition to the laws be sooner or more ctftctually put 
down. Not .so much by the terrors of the guillotine and the L'ibbet, 
as from the aroused determination of the nation, exliibitiii!: their 
strensth, and convincing the factious that their cause was hopeless. 
No, sir, depend upon it, that the possession of arbitrary power, by 
the government of Colombia, will not be the means of securing its 
tranquillity; nor will the danger of disturbances solely arise from 
the opposition of the people. The power, and the military forc« 
which it will bo necessary to put in the hands of the governors of 
the distant provinces, added to thi' nature of the country, will con- 
tinually present to those officers the temptation, and the means of 
revolt. 

26* 



306 MEMOIR OF 

Will the proposed change restore prosperity to the country? 
With the best intentions to do so, Avill }t)u be able to recall com- 
merce to its shores and give new life to the drooping state of agri- 
culture ? The cause of the constant decline, in these great interests, 
cannot be mistaken. It arises from the fewness of those who 
labour, and the number of those who are to be supported In that 
labour. To support a swarm of luxurious and idle monks, and an 
army greatly disproportioned to the resources of the country, with 
a body of officers in a tenfold degree disproportioned to the army, 
every branch of industry is oppressed with burdens which deprive 
the ing?!nious man of the profits of his ingenuity, and the labourer 
of his reward. To satisfy the constant and pressing demands 
whicli are made upon it, the treasury seizes upon every tiling within 
its gras[) — ilestroying the very germ of future prosperity. Is there 
any prospect that these evils will cease w'nh the proposed change? 
Can the.army be dispensed with? Will the induence of the monks 
be no longer necessary ? Believe me, sir, that the support which the 
government derives from both these sources, will be more than ever 
requisite. 

But the most important inquiry is, the cft'ect which this strong 
government is to have upon the people themselves. Will it tend to 
improve and elevate their character, and tit them for the freedom 
which it is pretended is ultimately to be bestowed upon them? 
The question has been answered from the a^e of Homer. 3Ian docs 
not learn under oppression those noble qualities and feelings which 
tit him for the enjoyment of liberty. Nor is desix)tism the proper 
school in which to acquire the knowledge of the principles of re- 
publican government. A government whose revenues are derived 
from diverting the very sources of wealth from its subjects, will 
not find the means of improving the morals ami enlightening the 
minds of the youth, by supporting systems of liberal education; 
and, if it could, it would not. 

In relation to the etiect which this investment of power is to have 
upon your happiness and your fame, will the pomp and glitter of a 
court, and the flattery of venal courtiers, reward you for the troubles 
and anxieties attendant upon the exercise of sovereignty, every- 
where, and those which will flow from your peculiar situation ? 
Or power, supported by the bayonet, for that willing homage which 
you w^re wont to receive from your fellow-citizens? The groans of 
a dissatisfied and oppressed people will penetrate the inmost re- 
cesses of your palace, and you will be tortured by the reflection, that 
you no longer possess that place in their afiections, which was once 
your pride and your boast, and which would have been your solace 
under every reverse of fortune. Unsupported by the people, your 
authority can be maintained, only, by the terrors of the sword and 
the scaffold. And have these ever been successful under similar 
circumstances? Blood may smother, for a period, but can never 
extinsrnish the fire of liberty, which you have contributed so much 
to kindle, in the bosom of o^ery Colombian. 

I will not urge, as an argument, the personal dangers to which 
you will be exposed. But I will ask if you could enjoy life, which 
would be preserved by the constant e.\"ecution of so many human 
beings — \-our countrymen, your former friends, and almost your 
worshippers. The pangs of such a situation will be made more 



WILLIAM IIEMJY HARRISON. 307 

acute, by rcflectinp on the hallowed motive of many of those who 
woulil aim their ila^'yers at your bosom. 'J'hat, like the last of the 
Roiiiaiis, they would slrike, not from hatred tu the man, but love to 
the country. 

From a knowledpe of your own disposition, and present feelings, 
your E.vcelh.'ncy will not he willini^ to believe, that you could ever 
be brought to commit an act of tyranny, or even to p.\(;cuie justice 
with uiiUL'ct s.^ary riiiour. But tru.=t me, sir, that there i» nothing 
more corrupliuij, iioliiinj; more destructive of the iioble*-t and linest 
feeliriKs of our nature, tiian the e.xercise of unlimited j»ower. The 
man who. m the beiriiMiihi.' of sucli a career, might shudder at the 
idea of lakiii:; away the life of a fullow-beiu',', mi:.'ht soon have his 
con^CKjiice so seared by the repetition of crime, that the aironies of 
his murdered victims mi|;hl become muKic to his soul, and the drip- 
pings of his scartuld arturd " blood enough to swim in." History is 
lull of such e.\am|iles. 

From this disgusting picture, permit me to call the attention of 
your Excellency to one of a differenl character. It exhibits you as 
the constitutional Chief Magistrate of a free people. Giving to 
their representatives the intiuence of your great name and talents, 
to reft)rm the abuses which, in a Ion* reign of tyranny and misrule, 
have fastened upon every branch of the administration. The army, 
and its swarm of ollicers, reduced within the limits of real useful- 
ness, plac'd on the frontiers, and no longer p(;rmitted to control 
public opinion, and be the terror of the peaceful citizen. By the 
removal of this incubus from the treasury, and the establishment 
of order, resjnnsibility, and economy, in the expenditures of the 
government, it would soon be enabled to dispense with the odious 
monopolies, and the duty of the j^lcacala, which have operated with 
so malign an eflect upon commerce and agriculture, and, indeed, 
ujxin the revenues which they were intended to augment. No 
lonsor oppressi'd by these shackles, industry would everywhere re- 
vive: tl)i' farmer and the artisan, cJ*ered by the prospect of ample 
reward for their labour, would redouble their exertions: foreigners, 
with their capital and skill in the arts, woujd crowd hither, toenjoy 
the advantages which could scarcely, elsewhere, be found; and 
Colombia would soon exhibit the reality of the beautiful fiction of 
Fenelon — Salentum ri^in^ from misery and oppression, to prosperity 
and happiness, under the councils and direction of the concealed 

goddess. 

What objections can be urged against this course ? Can any one, 
acquainted with the circumstances of the country, doubt its success, 
in restoring and maintaining tranquillity? The people would cer- 
tainly not revolt against themselves ; and none of the chiefs who 
are supposed to be factiou.-sly inclined, would think of opposing the 
strength of the nation, when directed by your talents and authority. 
But it is said, that the want of intelligence amongst the people 
unfits them for the government. Is it not right, however, that the 
experiment should be fairly tried? I have already said, that this 
has not been done. For my.self I do not hesitate to declare my firm 
belief, that it will succeed. The people of Colombia possess many 
traits of character, suitable for a republican government. A more 
orderly, forbearing, and well-di.-pised p(-ople are nowhere to be 
met with. Indeed, it may saf ly be asserted, that their faults and 
vices are attributable to the cursed government to which they have 
been so long subjected, and totheintolerant character of the religion, 
whilst their virt"";: are all their own. But, admitting their present 



308 MEMOIR OF 

want of intelligence, no one has ever doubted their capacity to ac- 
quire knowledge, and under the strong motives which exist, to ob- 
tain it, supported by the influence of your Excellency, it would 
soon be obtained. I 

To yourself, the advantage would be as great as to the country ; 
like acts of mercy, the blessings would be reciprocal; your personal 
happiness secured, and your fame elevated to a height which would 
leaVe but a single competition in the estimation of posterity. In 
bestowing the palm of merit, the world has become wiser than 
formerly. The successful v/arrior is no longer regarded as entitled 
to the first place in the temple of fame. Talents of this kind have 
become too common, and too often used for mischievous purposes, 
to be regarded as they once were. In this enlightened age, the 
mere hero of the field, and the successful leader of armies, may, for 
the moment, attract attention. But it will be such as is bestowed 
upon the passing meteor, whose blaze is no longer remembered, 
when it is no longer seen. To be esteemed eminently great, it is 
necessary to be eminently good. The qualities of the hero and the 
general must be devoted to the advantage of mankind, before he 
will be permitted to assume the title of their benefactor; and the 
station which he will hold in their regard and affections will depend, 
not upon the number and the splendor of his victories, but upon the re- 
sults and the use hemaymake of the influence he acquires from them. 

If the fame of our Washington depended upon his military 
achievements, would the common consent of the world allow him 
the pre-eminence he possesses? The victories at Trenton, Mon- 
mouth, and York, brilliant as they were, exhibiting, as they cer- 
tainly did, the highest grade of military talents, are scarcely 
thought of. The source of the v^eneration and esteem which is en- 
tertained for his character, by every description of politicians — the 
monarchist and aristocrat, as well as the republican, is to be found 
in his undeviating and exclusive devotedness to the interest of hig 
country. No selfish consideration was ever suffered to intrude 
itself into his mind. For his country he conquered ; and the un- 
rivalled and increasing prosperity ofr that country is constantly 
adding fresh glory to his name. General ; the course which he pur- 
sued is open to you, and it depends upon yourself to attain the 
eminence which he has reached before you. 

To the eyes of military men, the laurels you won on the fields of 
Vargas, Bayaca, andCarebobo, will be for evergreen ; but will that 
content you? Are you willing that your name should descend to 
posterity, amongst the mass of those whose fame has been derived 
from shedding human blood, without a single advantage to the hu- 
man race? Or, shall it be united to that of Washington, as the 
founder and the father of a great and happy people? The choice is 
before you. The friends of liberty throughout the world, and the 
people of the United States in particular, are waiting your decision 
with intense anxiety. Alexander toiled and conquered to attain 
the applause of the Athenians; will you regard as nothing the 
opinions of a nation which has evinced its superiority over that 
celebrated people, in the science most useful to man, by having car- 
ried into actual practice a system of government, of which the 
wisest Athenians had but a glimpse in theory, and considered as a 
blessing never to be realized, however ardently to be desired? The 
place which you are to occupy in their esteem depends upon your- 
self. Farewell. 

W. H. HARRISON. 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAKKISON. 309 



CHAPTER XXII. 
Conclusion — Character of General Harrison. 

We must now review some of the ground that 
we have passed over, for the purpose of presenting 
in another point of view, the public services of the 
distinguished individual, whose eventful career has 
occupied our attention. We have more than once 
alluded to the integrity and distintcrestedness of 
general Harrison ; we have noticed his patriotism 
and dcvotedness to country ; and we now propose 
to ofTer some proofs of the display of those quali- 
ties, in addition to the evidence afforded by his 
public acts. 

We have seen that General Harrison never con- 
templated the military service as a permanent pro- 
fession. When the first war for independence was 
terminated by the victory of Wayne, and the de- 
livery of the British posts in the north-west, he 
threw aside the habiliments of the soldier, and ac- 
cepted a civil office. He passed from one grade to 
another, enjoying successively the confidence of the 
elder Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, and of the 
people of Ohio and Indiana. As governor of 
Indiana, and as superintendent of Indian afTairs, 
for thirteen years, large sums of money passed 



310 MEMOIR OF, 

through his hands, to be disbursed at his discretion, 
and subjected to ifew of the checks which are now 
provided, under the admirable arrangement of the 
offices at Washington. He gave no security ; nor 
had the government any other guarantee for the 
faithful application of those funds, but his prudence 
and honesty. That he was true to his trust, is 
obvious from the facts, that he remained poor, and 
did not become the debtor of the government. He 
made no speculation upon the public money, or 
lands. 

In the expedition to Tippecanoe, he led the mili- 
tia of his own territory, and a few volunteers from 
Kentucky, into the field, as governor of Indiana, 
and commander-in-chief of its militia. The com- 
mand that he afterwards held on the north-western 
frontier, was given him at the spontaneous call of 
the western people. He did not seek the office nor 
the emoluments of a general ; but willingly led his 
fellow-citizens to battle, sharing with them the la- 
bours, the dangers, and the honours of war, and 
retiring with them to private life, when the contest 
ceased. 

As commander-in-chief, he was subjected to 
heavy expenses. His command was spread over 
so wide a territory, that he was obliged to travel 
incessantly, and to entertain a large suite. Nearly 
all his operations were carried on with militia ; and 
the meafeures necessary to draw out these troops 



WILLIAM HENRY IIAKRISON. HI 1 

to the field, to conciliate them while there, and to 
retain them in service, obliged him to maintain an 
extensive intercourse with influential citizens, and 
to receive many of them at his head quarters. Un- 
like the leader of a regular army, who is provided 
with troops and supplies, and is independent of the 
country. General Harrison was placed in a kind 
of political relation to the people, which required 
that he should possess their confidence and good- 
will. It was requisite, therefore, that he should 
keep^ree quarters, for the reception of such of his 
fellow-citizens as visited him on business, or came 
to see their friends in the army. His expenses so 
far exceeded his pay, that he was obliged to sell a 
fine tract of land, during the war, to meet them ; 
so that he not only exposed his life, and gave his 
labour to his country, but contributed a portion of 
his small estate to sustain her in one of the darkest 
periods of her existence. 

He had purchased from the government several 
fine tracts of land, inTlndiana, on the Ohio river, on 
which, under the system of sale then practised, 
only part of the purchase money was paid. The 
final payment became due while the general was 
on the frontier; and, for want of money to meet it, 
the land was forfeited. It is true that under a sub- 
sequent law, he received back the snm he had 
actually paid in ; but this was no compensation for 
the loss of a body of fine land, which is now per- 



312 MEMOIR OF 

haps worth twenty dollars per acre, and would 
have placed him in easy circumstances, could he 
have retained it. 

At the time that our distinguished friend was 
thus devoting his private fortune to the public ser- 
vice, sacrificing that which, though small in value 
then, would have risen with the rapid appreciation 
of property in the west, into an ample estate, he 
had liberty to draw on the government to an un- 
limited amount, and was daily passing large sums 
of public money through his hands. During the 
war he drew on the srovernment for more than six 
hundred thousand dollars for public purposes, not 
a cent of which was ever diverted to his own use ; 
and at the close of his military service, there was 
no charge against him on the books of the account- 
ing officers at Washington, except for a few hundred 
dollars, which he had expended as secret service 
money, and which was promptly allowed by the 
President. 

Since the war. General Harrison has been the 
principal, and almost the only, representative of the 
military class of our citizens, in the region in which 
he lived ; and the old soldiers crowded about him. 
The veterans who had served under Wayne, St. 
Clair, and others of the early commanders, came 
to him to present their claims for land and for 
pensions. Those who had served in the lab war 
under him, came to him, of course, as their next 



willia:\i henry haiirison. 313 

friend. Born in Virginia, and bred in the west, 
lie was hospitable by nature, and by habit — and 
the old soldier always found a welcome at his fire- 
side. Not only were his expenses increased, but u 
vast deal of his time employed, in the duties of 
charity or friendship towards this deserving class 
of citizens. 

Some years ago, it was ascertained that a large 
body of land adjoining Cincinnati, and bordering 
on the Ohio, which had been sold long previously 
for a mere pittance, under an execution against 
the original proprietor, could not be held by the 
titles derived from the purchasers, because the pro- 
ceedings were irregular. The legal title was in 
General Harrison and another gentleman, who 
were the heirs at law. The hundreds of acres 
included in this tract would have constituted princely 
domains for both these persons, and have afforded 
a wealthy inheritance for their descendants, had 
they chosen to have insisted on their legal rights ; 
and they could perhaps have done justice to the 
purchasers, by giving them a small portion of the 
whole, for their equitable claims. But General 
Harrison is not the man who ever compromises 
between his honour and his interest ; and imme- 
diately on being informed of the situation of the 
property, he procured the assent of his co-heir, and 
joined him in executing deeds in fee simple to the 
purchasers, without claiming any consideration for 

27 



314 MEMOIR OF 

what he considered an act of duty, except a few 
hundred dollars, being the difference between the 
actual value when sold, and the amount paid at the 
sheriff's sale. Included in the tract, however, were 
twelve acres, of the most valuable part, which 
were actually the property of Mr. Harrison, by do- 
nation from his father-in-law, and in his possession 
at the time of the sale under the execution, and 
which were improperly included in the sale, in 
consequence of his title not appearing of record. 
This he might have retained both legally and equi- 
tably ; but such was his nice regard for his reputa- 
tion, and his scrupulous desire to do all the justice 
that others were disposed to claim of him, that he. 
agreed to receive for this portion, as well as the 
other^ a small payment, which, with the amount 
for which it was struck off at the sale, would make 
up what was supposed to have been its value when 
sold. The last described portion thus relinquished, 
is now worth one hundred thousand dollars. 

It is well known, that it has not been uncom- 
mon for gentlemen holding high offices, to avail 
themselves of their influence to provide for their 
relatives. A large number of the members of Con- 
gress, and other high functionaries, have procured 
appointments for their sons in the military academy 
at West Point, or in the navy, by means of which 
these young gentlemen are educated and provided 
for, at an early age, at the expense of the govern- 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. JU 5 

mcnt. Many of those wlio thus rchovc themselves 
of the expense of educating their own sons, are 
wealthy men. General Harrison has had a nu- 
merous family, mostly sons, and has never been 
wealthy. He has always, since his sons have been 
old enough to be educated, until very lately, held 
offices of high grade and influence, and could at 
any time have procured such a favour by asking 
for it. He had higher claims to such patronage 
than most men ; his father was a distinguished pa- 
triot of the revolution — he himself had foujjht 
through two wars — one of his sons was married to 
the daughter of the lamented General Pike, who 
fell in battle during the last war; and the children 
of this marriage became, by the early death of their 
father, dependent on General Harrison. Rut he 
educated his family at his own expense. It is true, 
that more than once, while in Congress, he formed 
the intention of placing one of his sons at West 
Point, or in the navy ; but finding the applications 
from his own state more numerous than could be 
complied' with, he disinterestedly waived his own 
claims in favour of his constituents, and procured 
appointments for their sons, in preference to his 
own. On one occasion, when his straitened cir- 
cumstances, and his desire to place one of his sons 
in the military profession, had induced him to re- 
solve to ask an appointment for him at West Point, 
a poor neighbour brought to him a fine boy, whom 



316 MEMOIR OF 

he was wholly unable to educate, and begged him 
to place him at West Point ; the general took the 
son of his humble constituent under his patronage, 
procured him a place in the military academy, and 
has had the satisfaction of seeing him become a 
valuable citizen, high in office in one of the western 
states. 

In person General Harrison is tall and slender ; 
his countenance is expressive of the vivacity and 
benevolence of his character ; his fine dark eye is 
remarkable for its keenness, fire, and intelligence. 
Although from early manhood he has never had 
the appearance of possessing a robust constitution, 
yet such has been the effect of an active life and 
temperate habits, that few men enjoy at his age so 
much bodily vigour, or moral energy. He seldom 
or never partakes of ardent spirits, and does not 
habitually use even wine. Equally moderate in his 
diet, he is emphatically a temperate man. 

He is remarkably amiable in his social and do- 
mestic relations. Generous, kind, and affectionate 
in his disposition — mild and forbearing in his tem- 
per — plain, easy, and unostentatious in his manners, 
cheerful and affable in his intercourse with his 
friends and with strangers, easily accessible to all, 
and unbounded in his charities. Warm in his affec- 
tions, he has never been violent, or vindictive in his 
enmities. Those who know him love him, and his 



WILLIAM HENRY HVRKISON. Ml? 

enemies have only been such as have l)ccn created 
by his political relations, or by the operation of 
causes growing out of party feeling. In a long life 
of collision with men of every class — frequently 
with the most fierce, turbulent, and ungovernable, 
we have no knowledge of his having been en£;af];ed 
in personal hostilities, or in a duel ; and such was 
the effect of his mild and gentlemanly example, 
that not a duel was fought in the north-western 
army while he commanded. 

The son of one of the signers of the Declaration 
of Independence, and reared under the eye and in- 
fluence of the founders of our government, he early 
imbibed a deep reverence for the constitution, which 
has been evinced in all his public acts, through life. 
From the house of his father, the guardianship of 
Robert Morris, and the patronage of Washington, 
he passed into the service of his country in the 
companionship of Wayne, St. Clair, and other 
illustrious men, of that noble band who laid the 
foundations of our liberty. In civil office he became 
associated with Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and 
other master spirits, who, while they were among 
the fathers of the constitution, were also the great 
leaders of the democratic party. They professed 
the principles which had been instilled into his 
mind from early infancy, and which, in the mature 
reflection of manhood, he considered right ; and he 
acted with the democratic party consistently and 

27* 



818 MEMOIR OF 

steadily. From early associations, therefore, as 
well as from principle, he has retained through 
all the vicissitudes of his life, an ardent love, and a 
deep reverence for the pure maxims of the revolu- 
tion; and has been in the habit of testing his politi- 
cal opinions by the constitution itself, and the con- 
temporaneous expositions of its framers. 

In civil office, and in military command, he was 
always just, moderate, and firm ; avoiding violent 
and arbitrary measures, and preferring to govern by 
persuasion and argument. 

The talents and attainments of General Harrison 
may be estimated from his writings, his speeches, 
and his acts. The man who would deny to him a 
high order of intellect, must be regardless of the 
evidence of history. For forty years his name has 
been associated with the most important transactions 
of our country, and the proofs of his intellectual 
endowments may be found on its records. The 
lawyer whose whole time has been devoted to the 
examination of a particular class of subjects, may 
be able to embody his thoughts on a question of 
constitutional or municipal law with more technical 
precision, and mould his language with greater art 
and sophistry. The trained politician, whose ener- 
gies have been devoted, with unceasing vigilance, 
to his own elevation, who has watched the temper 
of the times, and the fluctuating opinions of parties, 
may be more expert in making or in seizing occa- 



WILLIAM IIKNRY HARRISON. 31 U 

sions to display his patriotism or address. But 
General Harrison may be advantageously compared 
with any of his contemporaries as a man of abili- 
ties, and as a sound and able practical politician. 
His writings, which arc numerous, speak for them- 
selves : they arc distinguished by clearness and 
facility of composition. Few men write better or with 
greater rapidity. In the many high stations which 
he has fdled, he has never been in the habit of em- 
ploying a secretary or any amanuensis, to write 
his Icfters, but has always performed this duty for 
himself. He is an animated and ready speaker, 
fluent in language, plain but not ungraceful in man- 
ner. We have seldom seen any one who is so 
prompt or so happy in an extemporaneous address. 
His aptitude and readiness in bringing the resources 
of a highly cultivated mind to bear, without appa- 
rent premeditation, upon any subject which may be 
presented, are singularly felicitous. 

It was this rare union of ability, courtesy, and 
moderation, that caused General Harrison to be so 
much beloved by the militia whom he commanded 
in the war. These were the qualities that won for 
him the friendship of the gallant naval hero of 
Erie, who wrote to him in 1813, "You know 
what has been my opinion as to the future com- 
mander-in-chief of the army. I pride myself not 
a little, I assure you, on seeing my predictions so 
near being verified ; yes, my dear friend, 1 expect 



320 MEMOIR OF 

soon to hail you as the chief who is to redeem the 
honour of our arms in the north." The man 
whose character could extract such a compliment 
from the modest and unassuming Perry — himself a 
daring officer, a man of discernment, who, after 
achievinfj one of the noblest of the victories that 
grace our annals, voluntarily accompanied Harri- 
son to the field, and acted as his aid at the battle 
of the Thames — the man, we say, who could ex- 
tract such a compliment from such a source, must 
have hi2;h merits. 

. Another distiniruished witness of the conduct of 
Harrison — General M'Arthur, who had served 
under him, wrote to him in 1814: — "You, sir, 
stand the highest with the militia of this state of 
any general in the service, and I am confident that 
no man can fight them to so great an advantage ; 
and I think their extreme solicitude may be the 
means of calling you to this frontier." 

General Harrison himself, on being asked how 
he had managed to gain the control which he 
always swayed over the militia, answered, " By 
treatin^T them with affection and kindness — by 
always recollecting that they were my fellow-citi- 
zens, whose feelings I was bound to respect, and 
by sharing on every occasion the hardships which 
they were obliged to undergo." 

When Commodore Perry, forgetting his own 
recent daring, remonstrated with General Harri- 






WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 321 

son on his exposure of his own person, in an attack 
made by the Indians on the army, at Chatham, 
shortly before the action at the Thames, and also 
in the battle of the Thames, the intrepid leader 
replied, that "it was necessary that a general 
should set the example." 

To those who have known General Harrison, 
this recapitulation of his virtues and services may 
be unnecessary. The pioneers of the west, who 
have braved the elements and the battle, — who 
have endured hardships and privations, — will not 
join in the unmanly endeavour to sacrifice to the 
fury of party prejudice, a high-minded and highly 
gifted patriot, by stigmatizing him as " a military 
chieftain." He is now a candidate for the highest 
office in the gift of the people — not by his own 
choice — not by the dictation of a self-constituted 
convention — not by the prompting of a midnight 
caucus — but at the call of the democracy of the 
land. The people of the west, who know the ster- 
ling qualities of the venerable patriarch of North 
Bend, will sustain that call, and give a pledge to 
their fellow-citizens throughout the union, that Har- 
rison is the man we have represented him. 

Harrison was among those who came to the 
frontier in those days of peril. He shared the toils, 
the privations, and the anxieties, of the pioneers 
who conquered this fair land. He led them to 
battle against their foes, and was triumphant. He 



322 MEMOIR OF 

represented their interests on the floor of Congress, 
and was not less successful. Appointed their go- 
vernor, he won their confidence and love by his 
humane conduct, his conciliatory manners, and the 
unwearied industry with which he discharged the 
duties of his office. In every situation they have 
found him the same. When high in civil office, he 
never forgot his responsibility to the people, or 
abused the great powers with which he was intrust- 
ed — when placed at the head of an army, he was 
not violent nor arbitrary. He never rashly exposed 
the lives of his men in battle, for the selfish purpose 
of winning laurels to deck his own brow. He never 
crushed others that he might stride into power 
himself. He never set aside the laws of his coun- 
try, or insulted the majesty of the people in the 
persons of their officers. He was never prodigal 
of the lives or property of his fellow-citizens. He 
was a brave soldier, without being a violent man — 
an accomplished leader, without inordinate ambi- 
tion — a conqueror, without forgetting the precepts 
of justice and mercy. 

Such a man deserves the confidence of the peo- 
ple. The politicians may hesitate, because he owes 
them nothing. The leaders of parties may stand 
aloof, because he is not enlisted under any of their 
banners. — He is the candidate of the people, chosen 
by themselves from their own ranks, and indebted 
to none but them for their support. They know 



WILL1A3I HENRY HARRISON. '.i2'.i 

him to be an able civilian, and an honest man. 
From all his high civil trusts, he lias carried no 
spoils into private life. After a long life spent 
in the public service, he is living upon the fruits 
of his daily industry — a plain unassuming man, 
beloved and respected by all who know the good- 
ness of his heart, and the sterling integrity of his 
conduct. 



THE END. 



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